


Three Day Recovery

by allmyfluffylove



Category: Free!, Free! Eternal Summer - Fandom
Genre: Fluff, M/M, My First AO3 Post, My First Work in This Fandom, Post-Free! Eternal Summer, Romantic Fluff, Sourin and Reigisa are side ships, University, makoharu - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-26
Updated: 2016-11-26
Packaged: 2018-04-17 10:23:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 36,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4663095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allmyfluffylove/pseuds/allmyfluffylove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"What do you need?"</p><p>An outstreched hand,waiting to pull him out of the blue. A tilted smile, that made him feel warm inside. Gentle eyes, his eyes. Green. He needed to see green. </p><p>"You," Haru whispered.</p><p>Makoto gets a call from his sick boyfriend who needs to get better in 3 days for a swimming competition in Tokyo. </p><p>For The Ultibae, C.L</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 3 Emails, 1 Voicemail

"Remember class, your midterm exam for this course is in 3 days. I expect only the best results from aspiring teachers, such as yourselves. The next time that I will be seeing you will be in the New Year so study hard and have a wonderful holiday. You are dismissed."

Makoto closed his notebook and gave a sigh of relief as the bell chimed, signalling the end of the seminar. He was just about done tucking his pencil case into his bag when the professor himself approached his desk. Makoto straightened and shook the professor's hand.

"Thank you very much for the seminar, Professor Iwanako."

"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Tachibana," the Professor replied in his gravely but kind voice.

"I'm looking forward to the hands-on experience component of this course in the New Year," Makoto said eagerly.

"As am I. For this class specifically, I have high mind to assign part-time coaching positions at local high school and public swim clubs, should your exam marks be sufficient," the Professor's tone growing harder at the mention of the exam.

Part-time coach. The word "coach" had a very nice ring to it.

"I am going to study very hard, it is only right, to repay you for your wonderful seminars."Makoto gave him a sunny grin. 

The Professor gave a small smile. "Very good then, I wish you the best of luck. Until the New Year, Mr.Tachibana."

They shook hands once more and Makoto watched as the elderly man made his way back to his mahogany desk, opened up his large briefcase, and began to prepare his notes for the next group of students. Makoto zipped up his bag, tucked his red reading glasses into his shirt pocket, and shrugged into his thick green jacket. With a small yawn, he walked through the glass doors and began to walk through the bustling hallway. Wintery sunlight shone through the wide windows, casting shadows of snow covered trees and dancing snowflakes on the floor. The laughter and chatter of the other students pressed on his ears as Makoto turned on his cell phone.

**You have: 3 emails and 1 voicemail**

Makoto reached the end of the hallway, and quickly opened his bag to retrieve his scarf and gloves. With a small shove, he pushed open the sturdy front doors of the **SPORTS EDUCATION** building of the University of Tokyo. He gave a small wave and flashed a quick smile to any classmates or Professors that crossed his path as he made his way to the centre of the courtyard. A ring of wooden benches surrounded a small heated fountain,  filling the cold air with the soft sounds of trickling steaming water. Makoto brushed off a bench and placed his bag on his lap as he pulled out his phone again to read the emails. The first one was from Nagisa but Makoto could tell that it was Rei who typed the message; he didn't type the customary greeting,  MAKO-CHAN!.  Rei instead had sent a very long and descriptive message concerning the state of Iwatobi's swim club.  

_In light of the snowy weather, Coach Sasabe has graciously allowed the club to use his pool until the new term. They have yet to discover the wondrous beauty that is my Butterfly stroke, I have promised the interested members a demonstration next practice. Nagisa is adjusting to his position as captain and is very diligent about everyone attending every practice. Although, Gou-chan is still chiding him about his obsession with the Iwatobi Special Bread, which he eats every other day. I hope for the club's sake, that he stays in top physical condition because the preliminaries are coming up so- MAKO CHAN! HOW ARE YOU?! HOW IS UNIVERSITY?! ARE YOU ACING ALL OF YOUR CLASSES?! HAVE YOU SEEN HARU-CHAN?! I HEARD THAT HE'S IN TOKYO FOR THE SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS IN THE 500 METER FREE!_

_Haru's in town?_

Makoto felt his face warm. The last time he heard from Haru, he and Rin were training overseas with an American team. Makoto hadn't seen him since the start of term.

_ME AND REI ARE GOING TO HAVE  A MOCK RELAY AFTER PRACTICE WITH THE SAMEZUKA SWIM TEAM! IT'S GOING TO BE GREAT! WE MISS YOU A LOT, PLEASE COME AND VISIT US SOON! - As I was saying, preliminaries are fast approaching and I have no desire to see my boyfriend lose his title as top breath stroke competitor. We've built up a new relay team too, Gou-chan is coaching them on the same training regiments she made us do._

 Makoto gave a small cringe; Gou's training was intense.

_Of course, Iwatobi will never have a stronger backstroke and free swimmer than you and Haruka-senpai but if my calculations are correct, our two relay members will reach the peak of their abilities by the 7th cycle of Gou's training. I will message you again soon for some tips for our new backstroke relay member. Have a Happy New Year!_

_For the Team,_

_Nagisa and Rei_

Makoto felt the warmth of those three words wash over him. It was those three words that made winning Nationals possible and it was those three words that still connected the four of them together. An unbreakable team. Makoto brushed off  some snow from his hair and clicked onto the next email, from Ren and Ran. It was a picture of them swimming at Coach Sasabe's club, goggles plastered on their foreheads and holding blue flutter boards. Makoto downloaded the image and immediately set it as his phone background. He closed his eyes for a second, letting the sudden bout of homesickness pass. He was going home for New Years, right after this exam. He would soon see their shining green eyes in person. Makoto clicked on the last email, from his study partner Mei-Chan.

_MAKOTO-SENPAI <3_

Uh oh.

_I was wondering if you wanted to grab a coffee and have one more session before our exam?_ _How does the cafe near the public library two days from now sound?_ _< 3 Email back ASAP <3 _ _\- Mei <3 P_ _S: Toffee misses you a lot, almost as much as I do._

Makoto felt a familiar discomfort settle in; those blasted heart emoticons. Mei was always sending them and always asked to have a study session off campus. He'd begun to recall all the little things he'd been noticing with her over the past few weeks. Blushes, wide fluttering made-up eyes every time he looked at her, the way she held on to every word he spoke. The staring, that always creeped him out. Bringing up her beautiful adorable cat, Toffee, as an incentive? That was an all time low. Makoto sighed in frustration. How many times did he have to go through this? The first question his many female study partners would ask always had the same answer: I'm seeing someone. Which of course, led to the reoccurring questions  of "Do I know her? What's her major? Is she really cute? Is she American?". Every answer to every question would be told with his trademark 'embarrassed' approach: full on blush and trembly voice that sadly, came extremely easy to him. "She is actually a he." And with that, he would apologize profusely and hurry away, hands over his face trying to rub the blush away. How many times did this have to happen until everyone got the message? 

Makoto was contemplating a way to bring yet another girl down gently as he clicked on the voicemail button. He brought the phone up to his freezing ear and waited for the dial tone. 

"Makoto, it's me."

Makoto felt himself turn bright pink and couldn't stop the wide grin to spread across his face. He took a breath to calm the warmth bubbling through him and tried to listen over his pounding heart.

"I hope I didn't call during a seminar, I know that your midterm exams are going to start soon. Maybe Nagisa told you, I'm in Tokyo for the Swimming Championships held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. I'm going to be swimming free and I would really like you to be there and come see me...as always,I'll show you a sight you haven't seen. Call me when you get this message. "

Makoto saved the voicemail, he  _always_  saved Haru's voicemails, and hit the speed dial button. The soft click on the end of the line set his heart racing again. He heard the sound of running water, the sound of a rustling towel. He stifled a laugh. Of course. The sound of water cut off abruptly.

"Makoto." 

Smiling, he closed his eyes and gave his customary greeting.

"Haru-chan." 

He heard a small splash, and Haru gave a small sigh.

"How many times have I told you not to call me that? Honestly-"

Haru paused. "Well... since it's you, I guess it's alright."

Makoto could picture the faintest tinge of a blush creep across his dripping face. 

"So... I'm swimming two days from now at 6:30 PM. Do you think you can come?" 

Makoto thought about his impending "study session" with Mei and Toffee, her beautiful adorable kitten.  _No contest here_ , he thought. 

"I'll be there."

Haru sighed again, but Makoto knew he was pleased.

"Ok... sorry if this is short notice but I'm coming over to your dorm. I brought something for you from America." 

The day just kept getting better. "Sounds perfect, come over anytime. I'll make some fried mackerel for dinner."

Makoto could definitely picture Haru's dark blue eyes beginning to sparkle, his blush growing deeper. 

"Ok, I'll be there in an hour. I need to spend a little more time with the water."

The sound of running water started up again.

"See you soon, Haru-chan."

Makoto began to feel the warmth slowly leave him as he prepared to hang up. The sound of running water continued. 

"... you can say it, if you really want to..."

Haru's voice echoed through the water sounds, as if he were speaking from the bottom of a pool. Makoto closed his eyes and felt the warmth return, rushing through him.

"I love you." 

Makoto hung up quickly, and rubbed his red face. His breath clouded the air as he tried to slow his rapid heart rate. He picked up his bag and shook his hair of all the snowflakes.  _Time to get a hat,_  he thought faintly. He pulled his scarf tighter around him as he began to trek through the snow to student residence, blushing all the way there.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has begun, my swimmer boy fluff fic! I had no idea what I was doing when I first started writing this, I just typed for a few hours and somehow, I created this! So please enjoy and snuggle up because this is going to be a fluffy ride ^___^ 
> 
> When I'm not writing, I'm blogging! Follow me on tumblr @ iamtheowllover


	2. Green

"I love you."

The line went dead as the boy on the end of the line hung up. With dripping fingers, Haru turned his phone off and placed it on the rim of the bathtub. Haru tried to keep his growing blush at bay, but the rosy warmth was spreading to his cheeks. Taking a deep breath, he submerged himself into the clear blue water. He closed his eyes and felt a small stream of bubbles escape his lips as he mouthed those three words over and over. He could never say it back to him, so he said it to the water. 

_I love you._

His voice distorted into ripples, lost to the calming blue. His lungs were beginning to ache but he had to say it at least one more time. Maybe if he said it enough to the water, he could finally say it to him. 

 _I love you, Makoto_. 

The water heard his soundless cry for air and Haru felt his body gently rise to the surface until his face was open to the air once more. Not even the water could cool down his blush. He gave a small sigh and sat up, his swim suit squeaking against the bottom of the tub. Floating by his toes, was the small blue dolphin Makoto gave to him all those years ago.

Haru rested his chin on his dripping knees and watched the toy bob up and down to the rhythm of the ripples. He pictured what Makoto would do if he found him sitting in the bathtub with the dolphin. He would be leaning down with his hand outstretched, wearing a sunny grin that crinkled his gentle green eyes. Green... when was the last time Haru had seen the colour green? Lately, the only colours he'd been accustomed to seeing was the white starting blocks of blue chlorine pools. Haru gave up and let the over whelming warmth envelope him, his wet body starting to shiver with excitement.

He would be seeing green tonight. 

Haru stood up and flicked his hair dry in three swift motions. Droplets clung to his eyelashes as he stepped out of the tub onto the bath mat. He grabbed the folded blue towel on the toilet seat and began to dry off. Once his chest was dry, he pulled on a white collared shirt and a grey wool sweater on top. He took off his swim suit and gingerly hanged it on the rim of the tub. As he patted his legs dry, he contemplated the possibility of buying a new swimsuit because the purple-stripe design of his current one just didn't seem right ....

Haru placed his soaking towel on the door hook and shimmied into his boxers and fading blue jeans. After pulling on his socks and buckling his belt, he proceeded to brushing his teeth. The last thing he wanted to give Makoto was mackerel breath. Haru looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror and self-consciously patted a tuft of almost-dry hair. He wasn't used to caring about how he looked but for Makoto, he was more than willing. 

Haru clicked off the bathroom light shuffled to the bedside table to retrieve Makoto's present. Haru liked the hotels in Tokyo, with their tatami mats and kotatsus. Their pools and bath tubs were exceptionally grand. The hotels in America were far too modern for his tastes, and their pools were always filled to the brim with toddlers and water guns. He couldn't swim free there. Haru picked up the gift bag and was leaning down for his shoes when suddenly, he was hit with a severe headache. 

"Ow..."

Haru dropped the bag onto the floor and pressed his fingers to his temples, alarmed to feel that they were very warm. Shivers travelled the length of his body and he'd begun to sweat profusely.

 _So much for a bath_ , Haru thought irritably.

He sat down on the bed and took deep breaths, waiting for the ache to pass. But after 10 minutes, Haru knew then that this wasn't a minor ache. He was getting sick and it was going to be a rough couple of days. He tugged off his sweater and unbuttoned his shirt to let his chest cool off. Haru stood up and wobbled to the bathroom, almost falling into the draining tub to pick up his phone.He wiped the water away with a clammy hand and was able to hit the speed dial button on his phone before collapsing face first onto the bed. He slipped the phone under his ear and laid there, shivering and sweating until he heard the soft click on the end of the line. 

"Haru? Where are you? The mackerel is starting to get cold." 

Mackerel. Despite feeling ill, Haru couldn't help but feel a soft glow of bliss at the mention of his favourite food, how wonderful it tasted with rice. Makoto brought him out of his fishy daydream. 

"Haru? Are you alright?" 

Haru tried not to rasp, but his throat was already starting to dry out. 

"Sorry... I can't come over after all, I suddenly got hit with this flue or cold or ... something..." Haru was beginning to feel quite drowsy. 

"You sound terrible, when did this happen?  After you got out of the tub?"

Haru gave an audible grunt in reply.

"What temperature was the water? No... Don't tell me, you took another cold bath?!"

"You're so cute," Haru mumbled.  _Yep, I am definitely sick_. He's never called anyone cute before, not even Makoto. 

Pushing that thought aside, Haru gave a small cough and continued. "I don't  **feel**  the water when it's hot, I've told you this already...it... doesn't feel right..."

Haru's eyes were beginning to close. Makoto gave an exasperated sigh, slightly flustered from the 'cute' comment.

"You have a competition in 3 days! How on Earth are you going to get better in time?!"

A loud **MEOW** cut off Makoto's voice.

"Was that... Toffee?" Haru was whispering now, trying to fight against the sudden urge to sleep. 

"Yeah, Mei said I could look after her for tonight, some 'kitten time' if you will. Not that I'm complaining."

Haru could feel him grinning into the phone. 

**MEOW!**

Haru heard him give a small giggle and Toffee began to purr. Haru pulled the thick bedspread over his shivering body and curled into the soft linen, cradling the purring phone to his ear. 

"... Haru? How are you feeling?" 

Makoto had stopped giggling with the cat and Haru could hear just how worried he was. Haru tried to answer but his eyes were so heavy and his voice was almost gone. He gave a ragged sigh, why was he so tired. 

"What do you need?"

An outstretched hand, waiting to pull him out of the blue. A tilted smile, that made him feel warm inside. 

Gentle eyes, _his_ eyes. 

Green. He needed to see green.

"You," Haru whispered.

The purring stopped; the line was dead. Haru turned off his cell phone and held it to his chest, laying still as shivers wracked his body under the thick blankets. Haru lay there for what seemed like hours, the daylight slowly fading from the room. The sound of a key in the door lock brought him out of his stupor. Sitting up, Haru rubbed his sweaty face and pulled the blankets up around his shoulders. The door creaked open and standing there, covered in snow, was the green-eyed boy himself. 

"Is this the right room, Mr.Tachibana?"

The receptionist was waiting in the hallway, holding a large bag.

"Yes, thank you very much."

She stepped into the room briefly to set the bag onto the tatami mats, gave a short bow in farewell, and closed the door behind her.

Makoto took off his winter gear, leaving them on the coat hanger to dry. He then zipped open the large bag and brought out a white plastic case, a first aid kit. He padded across the mats to the bed, sitting down right in front of Haru. Makoto placed the kit at the foot of the bed and gently brought his hand to Haru's forehead, leaning in until their noses almost touched. His hand was icy, causing Haru to wince in discomfort and draw away. Makoto flipped up Haru's bangs and then pressed their foreheads together. The bubbly warmth spread through him as he gazed into Makoto's eyes. Those beautiful green eyes. A moment later, Makoto let out a sigh and leaned away.  

"You have a very high fever, and your skin feels clammy. You have to stay in bed and sweat it off, then get some sleep. I brought some aspirin to help with the aches and some cough syrup." Makoto said all this in one breath, like he was afraid Haru would interrupt. Haru gave a small smile and nodded. 

Makoto rose from the bed and found a teapot and cup in the small kitchen space. He filled them both with cool water from the sink and offered the cup. Haru lifted his hand to take it but his fingers were shaking too much.

"It's ok, let me do it," Makoto chided gently.

Makoto brought it up to his lips and Haru emptied the cup in one swallow. Makoto refilled the cup and brought out a bottle of cough syrup and a spoon. He mixed a spoonful into the water and let Haru take another drink. Haru made a small grimace. The medicine tasted like sour grapes and it was thick,like tar. Makoto screwed open the bottle of aspirin and shook out two pills. Haru opened his mouth obediently and tried not to blush as Makoto popped the pills into his mouth. 

Makoto withdrew his fingers from his lips and gave a small giggle, "Your face looks even redder!"

_Crap._

Red faced, Haru watched as Makoto put the teapot back in the kitchen. While Makoto was putting away his first aid kit, Haru slowly reached down and picked up the fallen gift bag from the floor. Black dots swam across his vision as the blood rushed into his head, making him feel faint. 

"Haru! You're going to fall off the bed!" 

Makoto rushed over and took his shoulders, pushing him back into a sitting position. Haru closed his eyes for a moment, letting the dots fade away. When he opened them, Makoto's hands were on his arms, gripping his biceps to keep him upright. Haru coughed, and he tasted grapes. 

"Here... I got this for you." He placed the gift bag on Makoto's lap.

Makoto took his hands away and Haru felt his arms tingling from the touch. Makoto first took out the wrapping paper, green like his eyes, and neatly folded it into a 'get-well crane'. Grinning, he placed it on the bedside table.

"A little gift from me," Makoto said jokingly.

He reached into the bag and pulled out the gift, a snow globe. It was wrapped securely in bubble wrap, small enough to hold in one hand. Inside the globe, an orca and a dolphin were jumping out of a blue wave, side by side.  The base of the globe was painted turquoise and multi-coloured clay was moulded into the shapes of a coral reef. Makoto turned the globe upside and upright again, sending the small flecks of glitter inside flying. He watched the globe until all the glitter had ceased to move. Makoto looked up and gave Haru  _the smile;_ head tilted to one side, eyes closed, brown hair brushing his forehead, grinning from ear to ear. 

"Thank you, Haru-chan, it's beautiful." 

The smile left him breathless, making it very difficult to say anything in reply so he nodded and turned away. Makoto put the globe down next to the crane and took Haru's cold hands into his own. He brought them up to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to Haru's knuckles. Haru's heart stopped. Makoto dropped their hands and jumped off the bed, as if he'd been shocked.Embarrassment came off him in waves.

"Um ... um... I'm going to stay until I know that you're better. I brought my books and everything so I can study when you're resting. Um... I'll be on the couch, if you need anything... " 

Haru still couldn't breathe and just stared as Makoto padded to the sofa and collapsed on the cushions, hiding his face behind the arm rest. Haru closed his eyes and fell back until his head hit the pillow. Under the covers, he brought his hands to his chest and felt his racing heartbeat. His face burned, his skin tingled, his stomach was a fluttery warm mess. 

He was sick alright. In more ways than one. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really take pride in ending chapters with a flourish because it makes up for all the fluff I crammed into these two chapters alone. The gift idea was inspired by own personal snow globe collection in particular, my SeaWorld one which I got years ago. Did you enjoy the dolphin/killer whale symbolism :3


	3. Dreaming of Nationals

_What on Earth were you thinking?_

Buried in the cushions, Makoto's cheeks burned and he tried not to wheeze as his heart restarted. He gripped the arm rest, trying to steady his shaking hands. The soft sounds of evening traffic and Haru's breathing filled the room. The breathing slowed to a steady sleepy rhythm and Makoto gave a small sigh of relief, the waves of embarrassment ebbing away. He let go of the arm rest, his hands sore from the grip. He sat up on the sofa and picked up a fallen cushion. Faint moonlight filtered through the window curtains, casting a silver glow on the floor. 

Makoto brought the cushion up to his face, the smooth linen crinkling against his cheeks. 

_You kissed him. You kissed him._

He gave a soft groan.  Why was he getting so worked up over something so small? 

His heart wasn't with the program.

 _Small? **SMALL?!**  _ _This isn't small! This was your first kiss!_

 _It_ _was on the hands_ , he thought in exasperation. 

_Took your time, didn't you?_

...

Makoto had known Haru since they were kids and have always been close, if not, best friends. Makoto knew from the get go, that Haru wasn't the most sociable of guys; quiet, soft-spoken, serious, and occasionally gloomy. But he didn't mind, in fact, it made whatever Haru had to say more important and he found his gloomy-serious attitude quite endearing. He enjoyed Haru's company because he always felt something special, a feeling he didn't feel when he was with anyone else. And most importantly, Haru was the best swimmer he's ever known and Haru has never failed to make him feel amazed, proud, and inspired to keep on swimming and building the bond between them. 

And the _relay_. Swimming the relay with Haru was all he ever wanted, maybe all he ever needed. Makoto sank into the sofa, closed his eyes, and let himself remember the day they won the relay on the National stage. 

                                                                                                                  

* * *

 

His head was filled with Makoto's smile, his hands tingled from the kiss. Haru felt his eyes slowly close and sleep finally took him, carrying him into a memory: Nationals.

"HARU!"

"HARU-CHAN!"

"HARUKA-SENPAI!" 

Haru heard the screams of his teammates pierce the water. His lungs were on fire but he couldn't stop. Not now. 

One more kick. 

One more stroke. 

One more! 

Haru emerged from the water with a great gasp, his hand planted firmly on the starting block. He ripped off his goggles and looked at the board for the results. 

He won.

 _They won_.

A strong, dripping hand pulled him out of the pool and Haru was piled on.

Nagisa had his legs wrapped around him, his laughter shrill with tears streaming down his cheeks. Rei was sobbing and clutching his shoulders, his glasses askew on his tear stained face. Makoto's arms encircled all of them with one hand pressed against Haru's chest. Makoto's face was glowing and he was laughing as tears pricked his eyes. Seeing his team like this, Haru felt himself tearing up. He smiled widely, and let out a soft laugh. Makoto stared at him in amazement; he'd never heard Haru laugh before. Haru blushed at his stare but Makoto just smiled and hugged them tighter. After what seemed like hours they broke apart, their bodies shining with pool water and tears. 

"WE WON, WE WON, WE WON!" Nagisa cried out in glee, his pink eyes sparkling. He grabbed Rei by the arm and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. Rei was still sobbing as he buried his face into Nagisa's soaking hair, oblivious to the crushing force of the embrace. Haru and Makoto gave a small laugh at the two and looked at each other. Haru's heart raced and his chest tingled from where Makoto's hand had been. Makoto's watery green eyes were crinkled from smiling. Haru had to do it now, when everything was perfect.

Just like this. 

"Makoto, thank you. For swimming with me." 

Makoto smiled even wider, if that was possible. "No, thank you, for swimming with all of us. For all of us."

Makoto held out his hand, and by habit, Haru clasped it into his own.They said it together, as one. 

"For the Team."

Makoto's grip started to loosen but Haru held tight, not wanting to let go. Makoto gave him a questioning look and Haru took a deep breath.

It was now or never. 

"Makoto... you are my closest friend and it is because of you that I was able to find my future. You kept me from giving up and when I was lost, you showed me the way. "

Haru tried to keep it together, but his courage was fading.

Hurriedly he spouted, " I don't want to leave you, not after everything that we have been through. You are so important to me and when I'm with you...when I swim with you..."

Makoto waited, his face revealing nothing. 

 _Say it_.

"... I'm free. Truly free...I'm... what I'm trying to say is..."

Haru's voice choked and he shut his eyes in frustration.

He couldn't say it. 

"Then don't leave me." 

Haru's eyes flew open and he gasped as Makoto took their hands and brought them to his chest, over his heart. 

"I don't want to leave either."

Haru's face boiled, and his eyes started to sting. Makoto took a step closer, his green eyes gentle. He brought his head down until their foreheads touched. 

"I'm here to stay." 

Haru couldn't do anything but swallow and nod. 

The roaring crowd brought them back to their senses. Makoto dropped their hands and his gaze, his wet face almost as red as Haru's. Haru turned away, hoping his blush wasn't noticeable to his teammates.  Nagisa and Rei yanked at their arms, telling them that the Samezuka relay was about to start. As they were pulled along the tiled pool floor, Haru heard Makoto murmur faintly.

A question. 

"Will you be my boyfriend? Haru-chan?" 

Haru felt a tear slide down his cheek and quickly wiped it away before anyone could see. The four stood in a line at the side of the pool, waiting for the next relay to start. It was only when Rin was climbing onto the starting block did Haru take a shaky breath and murmur back. 

"Yes."                                                                                                                               

* * *

  
  
With a start, Makoto sat up and rubbed his sore back. How long had he been asleep? He groggily checked his wristwatch, it was 3:00 AM. He groaned and lay back down, trying to get comfortable on the stiff furniture. He cringed as the arm rest dug painfully into his neck and he couldn't fit his legs without bending them extensively. He sat up again and gave a quick look around the room. Haru was sleeping on the only bed, but it was a queen size so there was room for another person...

_You kissed him, and now you want to sleep with him? Slow down!_

Makoto didn't listen to his nerves and made his way quietly across the tatami mats to the bed. Haru was curled up into a ball facing him, snoring softly.Makoto picked up the blanket and carefully climbed onto the other side of the mattress, hoping the soft rustling wouldn't wake him up. He turned on his side so he was facing the window, Haru's breath warm on his back. 

 _He's very sick_ , he thought.

He could feel the heat radiating from Haru's body, sweltering under the heavy blankets. If he could sweat it out, his fever could be gone by morning. Makoto set an alarm for 8:00 AM on his wristwatch and closed his eyes, falling asleep to the sound of Haru's snores. 

  
                                                                                                                                

* * *

  
  
Haru coughed and the taste of grapes flooded his mouth once more. He shuddered at the rancid aftertaste. Groggy, he opened his eyes and had to stop himself from shouting. Someone was in bed with him! With bated breath, he waited for his eyes to adjust to the moonlit room and sighed in relief. It was just Makoto.   


Wait. Makoto? In bed with him?   


_Oh God_ , Haru thought in horror.  _D-did we...?_  


His fevered brain needed a moment to think logically.  _Of course not, Makoto would never do that. He was probably uncomfortable on the couch._  

He swallowed down the grapey aftertaste and tried to breathe slower and quieter. Suddenly, Makoto gave a groan and turned on his other side, now face to face with him. Haru stared, taking him all in before he went back to sleep. Makoto's brown hair looked grey in the moonlight and his face was covered with blanket except for his eyes, his eyelashes casting small thin shadows on his eyelids. Haru scooted a little bit closer until their noses almost touched. With his index finger, he lightly trailed it across Makoto's eyelashes, smiling as they tickled his fingertip. Haru waited a moment, then brushed his hand through his hair, the strands soft against his palm. Makoto shifted and took Haru's hand down and brought it under the blanket to rest on his cheek, still sleeping deeply. Haru's fingers twitched as he felt Makoto under his palm and over his knuckles.

Although asleep, Makoto had a firm grip and wouldn't let Haru take his hand away. He gave in and left his hand there, and fell asleep hoping to make this new sleeping arrangement permanent. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter with switching POVs!! This chapter made me feel very warm inside ^__^  
> Oh yeah, Haru trailing his fingertip over Makoto's eyelashes? Inspired by what my sisters do to me when I'm sleeping! Idk, I thought it would be a cute thing to add.


	4. Breakfast With Benefits

**BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP**

With a click, Makoto turned off the alarm and gave soft yawn. 

_Wasn't I facing the window last night?  And how did Haru's hand end up on my pillow?_

Makoto gently took Haru's hand off from the pillow and tucked it back under the blankets. Weak sunlight filtered through the curtains. The sun had already risen over the snow-covered city, but the sky was a pale grey, signalling more snow to come. Makoto leaned on his elbow and propped his face up, letting himself assess the health of his still-sleeping boyfriend.

Haru's face had a little more colour and his breathing was no longer laboured. Makoto brushed away his dark bangs and felt his forehead. It was still burning. Makoto sighed and rolled off the mattress, his feet tingling on the cool floor. He went to the windows and let some sunlight through the curtains. He then zipped open his night bag and brought out his toiletries and went into the small bathroom, closing the door for good measure. 

Makoto went to the toilet then washed hands. He pulled out his toothbrush and smeared some toothpaste on the bristles. He brushed for two minutes, taking extra care with the back of his mouth; his wisdom teeth had only come out last month. He spit into the porcelain sink and rinsed. The taste of mint was on his tongue as he brushed through his bed head, the brown strands falling back into natural order. Makoto packed away his toiletries and gave himself a moment to look into the mirror. His red flannel shirt was a little wrinkled but it didn't smell. His jeans were still warm from the blankets. Looking at his reflection, his thoughts from last night crept back.

 _Don't think about last night don't think about last night,_  he thought to himself. 

His lovestruck brain wouldn't let it go. 

**_YOU KISSED HIM!_  **

_On the hand! It wasn't even on the lips! This doesn't mean he'll want to start getting more..._

_But you want him to, don't you?_  

 _Now isn't the time,_ he thought exasperatedly _. He's sick and I have an exam to pass._

_You didn't answer the question._

Makoto groaned in frustration, clicked off the lights and opened the door. Haru was sitting up gazing blankly at the windows, his eyes still glazed from sleep. Makoto took a deep breath.

_Study and look after Haru. Nothing else matters._

"Good morning, Haru," Makoto called out in what he hoped was a cheerful voice. 

Haru turned his head slowly and nodded. "Good morning." 

"How are you feeling?" Makoto walked into the kitchen space and tried to get it together.

"Better than last night," Haru said quietly. 

 _Breakfast_ , he thought to himself sternly as his body started to warm at the thought of last night. Makoto filled up the teapot with water and pulled out two porcelain cups. He opened the cupboards and found Haru's food supply: frozen mackerel, rice, energy drinks, and protein bars. Chuckling, he brought out the mackerel and rice and set it on the counter. He turned the gas stove on and placed the pan on the burner, poured some oil, and put the frozen fish in the pan. Haru walked into the kitchen, blanket trailing from his shoulders and sat down at the wooden table. Makoto plugged the rice cooker and measured two cups of water and poured in the rice grains. Makoto allowed himself to turn around and have a quick glance. Haru's eyes were sparkling and cheeks were turning pink at the smell of cooking mackerel and rice filling the air. Makoto flipped the fish with a rubber spatula, and coaxed his smitten thoughts of Haru to wander to his exam.

_What did he have to review?_ _How much time did he have?_ _Did he bring all of his textbooks and the study guide?_ _Did he refill Toffee's water bowl before leaving the dorm?_

**_Breakfast._ **

Makoto heard Haru approach the counter, his blanket whispering across the floor. Makoto nudged the fish again and gave a huge swallow as Haru touched his arm while taking two plates out of the overhead cupboard. The blanket was slowly falling off of Haru’s shoulders, leaving his tan neck open to Makoto’s bashful gaze. Haru closed the cupboard and brought the plates to the table, his hands no longer shaking. Makoto clenched his teeth and breathed out his nose, he had to keep it together. If a simple touch and open skin made him feel this way, how could he cope if Haru decided to get more –

"Makoto, you're going to burn the fish." 

He yelped and turned off the stove. Quickly, he scraped at the pan to loosen the smoking fish and brought the pan over to the table. Makoto slid the fish onto the plates, making sure Haru got the bigger pieces. He dumped the smoking pan into the sink and unplugged the rice cooker.

Shakily, he blurted "Haru, can you pass me the plates?” 

_Crap, don’t make him get up; he’s still sick!_

Haru brought the plates over and stayed by the counter as Makoto dolloped the rice onto the fish. Makoto brought both plates back and seated himself. Haru slid into his own chair and drew the blanket tighter around him.

Haru clapped his hands together and murmured "Thank you for the food."

Makoto handed him his pair of chopsticks and watched him eat, Haru completely oblivious to his gentle gaze. Haru’s eyes grew brighter with every bite and bright pink splotches covered his cheeks. Seeing him like this, Makoto felt the familiar warmth rush through him, urging him to give into his emotions completely.

 _Stop it_ , he thought pleadingly.

But his heart refused to stop racing and the warm sensation turned him into a fluttery mess. 

 Makoto blurted, "Haru, you're adorable." 

Haru choked on his mouthful of rice, and had to take a swig of water to swallow.

Red faced, he spluttered, " Where did that come from?" 

Makoto’s reply was immediate, rolling off his tongue so easily.

"Every time you eat mackerel, you get so excited. You're just like a kitten, playing with a ball of yarn.” Makoto's face was so hot; he could have made fried eggs on his cheeks. 

Haru carefully swallowed his last bite of mackerel and crossed his arms. "I do not get excited, I just really like mackerel. It's salty and full of protein, not to mention, it contains minerals and vitamins important for muscle development and-" 

His voice trailed off as Makoto shook with suppressed giggles.

Haru sighed gloomily and turned away, frowning. "Ok ok, maybe I get little bit excited,” he admitted grudgingly.

Makoto smirked in victory and started to eat, his face starting to cool. The only sound to be heard was the low murmur of rush hour traffic, sounding through the windows. Makoto swallowed his last bite of rice and looked up to see Haru reaching for his hand. Makoto froze and Haru's cold fingers brushed over his knuckles, leaving them tingling. His fingers continued to trail over his hand until he reached Makoto's forearm. There, Haru started to trace small slow circles, his eyes refusing to meet Makoto's stare. After a minute or so, he pulled away and started to clean up the table. He draped his blanket over the chair and brought the stacked dishes over to the sink. Closing his eyes, Makoto told himself to breathe.

_Calm down calm down...._

Haru turned around and calming down was no longer an option. Haru's white button shirt was open and the sleeves were rolled up, revealing his muscular tan chest and arms. His sleep-wrinkled jeans hung loosely around his waist, his brown belt unbuckled. His blue-eyed gaze was focused, no longer subdued by sleep or sparkling from the food. Makoto swallowed and waited, not knowing what to do.

 

* * *

  
   
Haru gripped his hands on the counter behind him, bracing himself for what he was about to do. He knew he had fish breath but there was no way he was going to leave just to brush his teeth. He could feel it; the tension had been growing throughout the entire meal.

Makoto wanted him, and he wanted him now.

He stared at the green-eyed boy for one moment longer then let go of the counter. His knees shook slightly as he walked back to the table. Sitting down, Makoto was level with his chest. Makoto's red flannel shirt was unbuttoned at the top and his collar was crooked. His brown hair fell across his forehead in waves and his cheeks were still a little bit pink from the “adorable” comment. His green eyes were confused but also, hopeful.

Haru’s heart raced.  _Had he really wanted me all this time?_

Makoto didn't move, didn't even flinch, as Haru bent down and cupped his face into his hands. Haru's palms felt like they were on fire. There was just something about Makoto's skin that made his nerves go haywire. Haru took a breath and leaned in, inwardly cheering as Makoto leaned in to meet him halfway. Makoto closed his eyes and Haru gently pressed his trembling lips to his. 

Haru felt Makoto smile and press back, pulling on Haru's wrists to bring him closer. Haru could feel a cough tickling the back of his throat. Makoto tasted like rice and mint and his skin sent sparks off inside Haru’s writhing stomach. Haru closed his eyes and was pulled onto Makoto's lap, their lips straining to keep from parting. Makoto's arms encircled him, warmer than any blanket. Haru began to breathe heavily as he felt the crooked flannel collar brush his neck. Makoto smelled like starch and lavender-scented detergent,and he was so warm. So warm. Makoto's arms tightened and brought him in closer until their noses brushed.

 _Uh-oh_ , Haru thought as the cough began to surface. Dejectedly, Haru forced himself to break away and then commenced to wheeze into his shirtsleeve, cringing as the cough stripped his throat raw. When he looked up from his now sticky shirtsleeve, Haru was treated to the brightest pink face he had ever seen. Makoto’s hands were trembling and he kept touching his lips, as if he couldn’t believe what just happened. His green eyes were wider than ever before. Haru turned away and clumsily moved off of Makoto’s now very warm lap. Haru picked up his blanket and drew it around himself once more. He felt feverish and the traces of Makoto’s embrace left him tingling. His stomach was a mess, he felt like he was about to throw up.

Haru swept his bangs off his sweaty forehead and made the short trek back to the bed. He slid under the comforter and burrowed his face into the pillow.

_My first kiss…_

                                                                                                                                  

* * *

  
  
As Haru flopped back into bed, Makoto stood and shakily walked over to the sink. He turned the faucet and let the cold water run over his trembling hands. He splashed his face and could imagine the water turning into steam on his boiling face. He could still feel it, the warmth on his lap and his cheeks. His lips felt pink and swollen, his mouth savouring the taste of mackerel and grape medicine. Strangely, his stomach was for once, not a fluttery mess, despite what just happened. Makoto shut off the faucet and went into the bathroom, not bothering to close the door. He took one of the fluffy white towels off the hanger and brought it to his face.

Haru.

He could still feel him.

He could still taste him.

_My first kiss…  and it's only 8:30 in the morning._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naming this chapter was a pain because I wanted it to be cute but at the same time, not TOO cute or obvious. My first idea was to call it First Kiss but then even a potato like me knew that was the lamest title I could ever come up with. Then I took a Netflix break and saw Friends with Benefits and I was like, huh. And voila!


	5. The Study Partner

Haru woke with a start, his befuddled dreams fading into nothing. He gave a small yawn and tried to stretch his cramped arms, cringing as the muscles loosened. Early afternoon light shone through the windows, the tiny shadows of snowflakes danced across the floor. Haru rubbed his face and felt that his cheeks were flaming. But not from a fever. 

The kiss! He drew the blanket up to his chest and clenched it tightly, already feeling the sweat starting to form on his palms.

 _I kissed Makoto, I kissed him_... he thought in disbelief. Where did he get the nerve, all of a sudden? Was he sick in the head as well?

But Makoto kissed back... Haru could still feel his lips, soft and warm against his own. Makoto smiled too, he felt it. Haru closed his eyes for a second, and let himself blush at the sensation. He had no idea how hard he'd fallen for this boy, until he let himself fall into him. This green-eyed boy who smelled like lavender and tasted like mint. This green-eyed boy with arms that he'd never want to leave, arms he could stay in forever. This green-eyed boy, who could have anyone in the world, wanted him. Haru sighed and finally gave in to the obvious, simple truth.

 _I've got it bad._  

Haru threw off the comforter and was relieved to find that he wasn't shivering. He retrieved his crumpled sweater from the floor and pulled it over his shirt, just in case he got cold again. He tightened the belt around his pants and smoothed them out, hoping they weren't too wrinkly. Did he smell? He brought his underarm up and quickly took a sniff. Chlorine and stale deodorant. He always smelled like this. Haru took a deep breath and made his way to the kitchen space, face still burning. He opened his mouth, about to mumble a greeting but stopped himself just in time, because the person sitting at the table, with a mountain of paper and three textbooks, was not the green-eyed boy but a petite black-haired girl. 

She had very small but efficient hands; one turned the textbook pages while the other continuously wrote short hand. Large-rimmed glasses rested upon her nose, magnifying her chocolate-brown eyes and the thick layer of mascara swabbed on her eyelashes. Her lips were shiny with lipgloss and her hair was pulled back into a bow. She had just finished her current sheet of notes when she finally noticed him, standing awkwardly in the entryway. 

"Oh, hi! You must be Nanase-san. I'm Kaneko Mei, Makoto's classmate and study partner."

She rose from the table, oblivious to the piles of paper that fluttered from her lap. She stuck out her hand and Haru shook it, hoping his hands weren't sweaty. Kaneko had the good grace not to immediately wipe her hands on her polka-dot trousers.

"Um... your papers..." Haru pointed at the mess.

Kaneko groaned and bent down to pick them up, her hands moving very quickly. Haru got dizzy just watching her.

"Well, if you didn't wake up like you just did, I wouldn't have risen to greet you, so who's at fault here?"

She shuffled the papers and laid the pile on top of her shorthand notes. Kaneko sat down  and commenced to read one of the three open textbooks. Haru still felt awkward, confused, and now slightly irritated so he cleared his throat and hoped he didn't default to his gloomy-sullen approach: downcast eyes, low mumbly voice, and a face that radiated "I am not amused". 

"Where's... Makoto?"

Kaneko looked up from her reading and Haru saw a look of surprise flash across her face. With a shadow of envy. It went away in an instant.

"Do you mean, Tachibana? He's out, getting some snacks. He may not have gotten you anything, because you were still asleep at the time. He should be back soon."

She pushed her glasses higher on her nose and gave him a pleasant smile but Haru didn't buy it; this girl didn't seem to like him very much. Not that he was offended, the feeling was mutual. But that didn't mean he had to be unpleasant as well.

"Your cat, Toffee... Makoto really likes to take care of her." Haru remembered how happy he sounded on the phone.

Kaneko's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "Wow, you're really persistent to call him by that. If you meant  _Tachibana_ really likes Toffee, I'm glad to hear it, because if she gave him a hard time, I'd give her up for adoption in a heartbeat!"

She gave an airy laugh and turned away back to her reading, her posture making it clear she didn't want to talk anymore. He was only too happy to comply. He left the entryway and slipped into the bathroom, locking the door for good measure. He sat on the toilet seat, holding his head in his hands. The dull, painful throbbing hadn't stopped since yesterday but he wasn't going to tell Makoto about a weak headache, he had better things to worry about. Like his study partner waiting for him to have a 'study session'.

According to Makoto's emails though, she sure wasn't the first. She  _was_ the first to own a cat but as hopelessly as he was in love with the cat, Makoto wouldn't reciprocate the owner's feelings.  Haru never asked why he turned the girls down, the answer was obvious. Yet Makoto insisted on answering the unspoken question in every email. 

_Because I have you and you're all I ever need. - M_

Haru allowed himself to smile at the memory of seeing those emails and how assured he felt when reading them. He rubbed his temples gently but that did nothing to take away the pain. Sighing, he rose from the toilet seat and splashed his face with cold water, drying it with the towel on the rack. It smelled like lavender. Haru trailed his fingers through his bangs until the 24 hour bed head settled into a semi-neat arrangement. With a deep breath, he unlocked the door, preparing for his interaction with the unexpected (not to mention unpleasant) Kaneko Mei. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kaneko Mei is a character of my own invention, any similarities to any current characters from any fandom is purely coincidental! (I did have to Google Japanese girl names but that's it, I swear!) Haru is going to need some love in the next few chapters... things are about to get a little less fluffy.


	6. The Study Session

Makoto yawned as he took the elevator to the hotel room. The doors closed and he felt the upward motion set the butterflies in his stomach into more of a frenzy, if that was even possible. He kept one hand on the railing inside the car, reminding himself that heights weren't his strong suit. With his free hand, he held onto the bag of snacks and powdered hot chocolate. 

As the elevator made its way up, he thought about his first kiss. It was better than he could have imagined it to be, it was with Haru after all. Who knew either of them had the nerve to do it? But now, nothing was stopping them from being more openly affectionate and since Haru made the first move, Makoto no longer had to worry about being embarrassed.

Makoto felt the warmth surge through him as a single thought came to mind:  _I want to kiss him again._

The elevator dinged open on the 7th floor and Makoto made his way down the hallway to room 721. He swiped the hotel key card in the slot and pushed open the door. He'd only placed one foot on the threshold when Mei's shrill voice cried "MAKOTO-SENPAI!" and he felt himself fall to the floor under her petite but compact body.

He groaned and tried not to sound as annoyed as he felt. "Mei, can you please get off? You're squishing the food I just spent an hour in the snow to get!"

Makoto felt the weight only increase and she had begun to nuzzle him.

Like a cat.

Terrified, he squirmed away from her nuzzling and quickly said, "Well, if you keep squishing me, you're not going to get it! Let me up, Mei! Ugh, fine fine I'll let you play with my reading glasses."

That did the trick.

Makoto breathed a huge sigh of relief and let her help him get up from the floor. Her brown eyes sparked with excitement and her cheeks were flushed as she turned around back to the kitchen, her hips swaying slightly. Covering his face with his hand, he suppressed another groan and tried to rub his embarrassment away. 

"Welcome back, Makoto."

He lowered his hand and smiled sheepishly at Haru, who had watched the whole tackle-and-nuzzle from the safety of the sofa. He felt himself blush when Haru gave a small smile in reply. Haru rose from the sofa and walked across the sun-warmed tatami mats to the front door. As he made his way towards him, Makoto tried to distract himself with medical related thoughts concerning his boyfriend and not how much he wanted to kiss him again.

_He's looking better; less tired and he's wearing more layers so maybe his fever broke... but he should take more cough medicine just in case._

Although, seeing him swaddled in a grey knit sweater and his dark bangs untidy from sleep, thinking medically proved to be very difficult. With his blue eyes downcast, Haru stood in front of Makoto and looked to the side, the way he always did when he was blushing. 

_Think._

_Medicine._

_No kissing._

Makoto quietly asked,  "Do you want more cough medicine? Because I bought some more-"

Haru suddenly rose up and pressed a quick, soft kiss to his cheek. Makoto blinked and tried to restart his brain, which had seemed to stop computing.

What was he supposed to do again?

_Snacks._

_Study session with Mei._

_Give Haru his medicine_

_... kissing?_

_No._

_No kissing... yet._

"Th-thank you... here, your medicine."

He was holding the medicine bag, fingers limp from the cold, but they shocked back to life and warmed at Haru's touch. Haru nodded his thanks, too red to make a sound and walked into the kitchen to take his medicine. Makoto took off his winter coat and hung it on the coat rack. He shivered as the melting snow trickled into his hair and trailed down his neck. He wiped the water away and followed Haru into the kitchen, where Mei was waiting with bated breath. He carefully picked up his stack of notes and placed them on one of the two empty chairs.

Makoto began to unpack the snacks, placing all of the food onto the table. "I hope I got enough: chips, dried fruit, onigiri, sesame balls, sweet dumplings, and a dozen home-made egg tarts from a small Chinese bakery by the train station."

With a flourish, he dug out the receipt from his pocket and ripped it in half. "My treat".

Mei clapped her hands together and gushed, "Well done, Makoto-senpai, you and I are going to eat very well today!"

Her cheeks took on a rosy hue and she gave a girlish giggle.

Makoto gave a small laugh and patted her head. "Silly Mei-chan, you mean the  **three** of us are going to eat well! We can't let Haru go without food. In fact," Makoto turned around to look at Haru, who was quietly standing in the entryway.

Makoto reached into the bag, pulled out the last item, and walked over to him. He gently took Haru's hands and wrapped them around the snack, a Iwatobi Special Bread.

Haru's eyes widened and Makoto gave a chuckle. "It was only 490 yen!" They both smiled at the memory of Gou-chan's surprise bento box inspection, where Nagisa had received 0 points.

Haru took the bread and murmured, "Thank you."

Makoto grinned and gently squeezed his hands.

Haru's breathe smelled like grapes, and Makoto had never smelled anything so good.

He wanted to lean in, and find out if he tasted as good as he smelled.

His common sense kicked in _._

_NOT IN FRONT OF MEI!_

Mei gave an obnoxious sounding cough and Makoto quickly dropped their hands.

"Bless you," he said automatically as he walked back to the table, a red-faced Haru trailing behind him.

Mei giggled again but it faded a little as Haru sat down in the last empty chair. "Now you're the one being silly, Makoto-senpai. That was just a cough, I didn't sneeze!"

Makoto shrugged and opened up a bag of chips. He munched on a couple and offered the bag to her.

"You know me, I bless anyone that coughs, sneezes, hiccups, falls over, and etcetera! Everyone could use a few more blessings now and then, wouldn't you agree?" Makoto gave a nervous swallow as Mei's eyes widened in admiration.

"Absolutely, you're amazing to think like that." She was too busy staring at his face to notice the chip bag.

Her stare was getting dewier by the second so he quickly replied,"Thanks. Now, where were we?"

 

* * *

  
  
Haru opened his Iwatobi Special Bread and took a bite. Strawberries, chocolate, custard, whipped cream. It was an agglomeration of the four. No wonder Nagisa loved them so much, it was pure sugar. He quietly rose from the table and went to the fridge. He found the carton and poured himself a large glass of milk. Haru leaned against the counter and sipped, watching the two study.  


They were reviewing the _9th German-Japanese Symposium of Exercise Science _ that their class attended in the fall at Hiyoshi campus of Keio University. Haru noticed that Kaneko was much more polite around Makoto and extremely animated; her hands kept raising to brush his hand or tap his shoulder when she had a question. Basically, she never stopped touching him. Makoto on the other hand, was extremely quiet and and never moved his hands from off his pencil or notes. He answered every one of Kaneko's questions with a brief clear explanation then went back to his readings. Haru glanced at the table, Makoto's notes took up half of it. At least a hundred of double-sided pages scrawled in his neat cursive short-hand.

_He's been working really hard._

A glow of pride made Haru give a small smile. When Makoto took off his reading glasses to rub his eyes, Kaneko put them on over her pair, magnifying her brown eyes to those of a chibi character. Makoto laughed, pulled out his cell phone, and snapped a quick picture. Haru stopped smiling and felt the tiniest hint of unease in the pit of his stomach.

No matter how unpleasant she was to Haru, Kaneko  _adored_  Makoto and Makoto (the sweetest person imaginable) couldn't be anything less but cordial in the light of company. Haru finished his milk and sat back down at the table, regaining his glum sullen expression.

Kaneko giggled, "Nanase, look at this picture! Don't I look cute in Makoto's glasses?"

Haru nodded and didn't bother to return her patronizing grin. He rubbed his temples, his headache was still there. Makoto took back his glasses and was about to put them on when he stopped and looked at Haru.

_Crap, does he know about the headache?_

A smirk appeared on his face and he swiftly pushed the glasses onto the bridge of Haru's nose. Haru blinked in confusion and Makoto pulled out his cell phone again. He took the picture and tapped the screen two times, making the picture his phone background.

Makoto gave a satisfied nod. "They fit your face very well. Of course, I think you look better without them. Your eyes are perfect."

Headache forgotten, Haru blushed and he could swear he was now as red as the glasses. Makoto plucked them off his face and put them back on, his green eyes shining. 

Haru heard Kaneko take a deep breath and then he felt her brown eyes upon him. He met her gaze defiantly, hoping his blush didn't soften it. Kaneko's stare grew flinty and now Haru understood: she was jealous.

Makoto noticed the standoff and asked, "Hey Mei-chan, what's wrong? Why are you glaring at Haru?"

Kaneko screwed up her face and spoke in a hard tone. "You mean Nanase right? Nanase! Is he really so close to you that you can call him by Haru?"

Once again, she started making animated gestures and poked Makoto's shoulders with her small hands.

"Who is this guy?! Why does he keep blushing when you even look at him and why are you going out of your way to interrupt our study by flustering him?!"

Kaneko crossed her arms and glared at Haru.

"If it weren't for you getting sick, the two of us wouldn't have to be here. In fact, I'm certain Makoto would rather be studying in the comfort of his own dorm with me and Toffee."

 _She doesn't know..._   _didn't he send her the email?_

_Why didn't he tell her?_

Haru felt the heat rise up his neck, but it wasn't out of pleasure this time. Whatever reason Makoto had for keeping it secret, he was going to uphold it.

"Are you so sure of that? Because it seems to me that Makoto is the only one studying here. You, on the other hand seem pretty busy  _flirting._ But by all means, if touching shoulders and taking pictures is on the exam, you're going to do very well indeed."  

Haru's confidence plummeted as Kaneko smirked,her eyes were bright with triumph.

"Oh my, do I detect a hint of jealousy? Do you mean to tell me, that you, a gloomy sullen swim fanatic, is interested in my Senpai?"

Makoto raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Stop Mei, please. Haru, let me explain-"

Kaneko cut him off. "Allow me, Makoto-senpai. I'm sorry to tell you this, but if he were to be interested in someone, it wouldn't be a guy and it especially wouldn't be a guy like  _you_. You're no good for him so just stick to swimming, that's what you're good for. Swimming is the  _only_  thing you're good for." 

Haru clenched his jaw and rose from the table, his hands balled into fists. "I'll leave you two to your studying. Makoto, I hope you have fun flirting with Kaneko." 

Haru walked out of the kitchen and heard Makoto cry "Haru, wait!"

He kept on walking, grinding his teeth when he heard Kaneko's patronising reply.

"Let Nanase go Senpai, he'll come around and accept it eventually. Come on, let's finish studying."

Haru slammed the bathroom door shut and locked it. He stripped off his clothes and pulled on his almost dry bathing suit. He turned on the faucets and climbed into the cold empty bathtub, sitting there until the water reached his chest. He turned off the faucets, took a breath, and went under. Even the water pressing on his ears couldn't stop him from hearing the echo of her voice. The calming blue of the water transformed into a dark, chilling entity sending wave after wave of Kaneko's words to crash against him, leaving him cold and empty. A familiar void inside him pulsed with pain, fore the water had turned against him. 

The water couldn't save him.

The water couldn't set him free. 

Not this time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember that episode in Free! ES when Haru was in the middle of the race and the water turned against him, causing him to stop? AWESOME SYMBOLISM RIGHT THERE. So I kind of piggybacked on the idea :3 ... next chapter is going to be sad... sorry...


	7. Enough For Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When your ship is sailing in a sea of fluff, it is very hard to write a sad chapter. But I gave it my best shot XD

"Good bye, Mei. I hope you get back to the dorms safely."

Makoto kept one hand on the doorknob; ready to close the door as soon as she left. But Mei was known to drag out her goodbyes, she liked to linger. Makoto's fingers twitched with impatience but kept it hidden,underneath.

"Good bye, Makoto-senpai. I'll call you when I get off the train. I was thinking we could have dinner together this evening! There's this really cute sushi bar, just a five-minute walk from campus and there's this  _really_ cute cafe -"

To cut her off, Makoto patted her head quickly and sighed. 

"I don't think tonight is going to work, but I'll let you know." 

_Of course tonight won't work, I have to look after Haru. After all the things you said to him..._

But he kept that thought to himself. Any mention of Haru or in this case "the guy he would never be interested in" would send Mei back into a jealous fit of rage.

"Ok, looking forward to your reply!"

Mei adjusted the strap of her school bag and finally began to make her way out the door.

_About time_ , Makoto thought in relief. Then felt a pang of guilt shoot through him.

But only a small pang. 

Mei stopped outside the door and took a step back inside on the threshold. With her heels on, her nose was in line with the second highest button of Makoto’s flannel shirt.

Haru's height.

"I was thinking since you bought the snacks today, I want to give you something in return. A treat from me."

Makoto felt his neck grow hot, noticing how the light shone on her shiny lips  and the fluttering of her eyelashes, like dark butterflies.

_Crap, is she really going to?_

She took a deep breath and and leaned in, her cherry blossom perfume wafting from her neck. Makoto swallowed and made a split second decision: of all times to let her down, it was now. He brought his hands up and gently took her shoulders, stopping her. She opened her eyes (she closed them for dramatic effect) and frowned.

"Why did you stop me...? Silly Senpai, it's a thank you kiss!" Her playful tone changed to hurt in mere moments.

"Are you...not going to accept it?"

Like he was following a script, Makoto took a deep breath and hoped his tone of voice would be sincere. He imagined a string quartet playing a sad, woeful melody in the background.

He always did, when it came to this.

"Mei, I am truly flattered and humbled that you would come to care for me this way but I'm sorry. I just... I just don't feel the same way about you."

Mei blinked and Makoto felt a familiar pit open up inside him as the expected tears started to form in her eyes.

"But... but I thought... the past few months, you were only person I hung out with. We talk everyday. When you smile at me and pat my head, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Toffee adores you and I thought that you agreed to look after  _only_  because she was mine...  I told her everyday that if she were to misbehave in front of you, she would be gone.”

Makoto was stunned. She would throw out Toffee for his sake? This girl was serious.

Mei gave a small hiccup and her mascara started to run into her glasses. She clenched her hands together and spoke in a rush, letting it all out.

“You're the most amazing guy I've met and I knew from the moment I saw you sit at Professor Iwa's first seminar, I knew there was something special about you. I thought...I  _wanted_  us to be something more. More than classmates, more than study partners. More than friends."

She looked up at him with a hopeless expression. "Being friends with you, it's not enough."

Her mascara dripped away and Makoto could see how softer her eyes were without it. Like her stature, they were small and only saw him the way he wanted everyone to see him: kind, dependent, cat-loving, and in love.

But with whom?

Makoto knew that it would take some time for Mei, and others like her, to accept the fact that he's fallen in love not only with a guy, but with a certain gloomy sullen swim fanatic.

Makoto brought his hand up and gently placed it on her small dark head. “I know how you feel, wanting something more, wanting to  _be_  more to someone special."

He was nearing the end of his familiar response. "I'm lucky enough to say that I’ve found someone who gives me more, more than everything I’ve ever wanted.” Haru's face flashed in his mind, giving him the resolve to see this ordeal through.

Gently, Makoto finished his reply. “ Mei, I'm sorry. Please understand that being your friend and all that you already do, is more than enough for me. "

Makoto moved his hand up to her face to wipe away her tears with his thumb. Like he did with the girls before her. She drew away from him, and her expression changed from heartbroken to cold in an instant. Her voice no longer trembled and her tone was steely.

“You're gay, aren't you?”

Makoto flinched. No one has ever asked him explicitly and he had yet to fully identify himself as such.

But it was the truth, so he nodded firmly.

Mei turned her back on him and stalked out the door, tiny shoulders shaking from sadness or rage, he couldn’t tell. He closed the door, groaned, and leaned back against it, letting the pit inside him grow. The sad violin music of his imagination faded away and self revulsion engulfed him. 

He just rejected another girl... how many did that make?

Four... five?

No, six.

How he wished the number would be six times smaller.

Mei's cold reply sent pangs of sadness and guilt through him, awakening the most troublesome thought to pop into his head.

_It's not the most modern kind, but it is still love..._

It was love, right?

He's asked this very question to himself many times over the course of his friendship with Haru. Every day as his feelings for him grew, Makoto was plagued with the thought of not knowing if what he felt was real. If what he felt was right. But he knew this: he couldn't imagine life without knowing or being with Haru because he was always there.

His best friend, his other half.  
Always by his side, his saving grace in the relay.   
He never felt complete without him.

Makoto recalled the warmth he felt every time Haru looked at him, touched him, swam with him. The way his stomach fluttered and how now he couldn't think of anything else but how his soft lips felt pressed against his own. The way he felt that he could swim as many relays as it took, so long as Haru was there waiting on the starting block.

Waiting for him.

Haru made him whole.

And if that wasn't love, nothing else could be.

All thoughts of doubt and self-loathing faded and Mei's words became meaningless. Makoto felt his heart pound with the same resolve he had when he took Haru's hands at that pool last summer and held them against his chest, with the cheering crowd as their witness.

He wasn’t leaving, not now, not ever.

Makoto picked himself off from the door and made his way to the bathroom. He took a calming breath and turned the doorknob.

The door was locked.

A childhood memory surfaced, causing his spike of worry to dissipate. When Haru got upset in elementary school, teachers and classmates quickly learned that Makoto was the only one who could convince him to open any of the locked doors Haru would hide behind. Haru was a deft at keeping his emotions under wraps, but sooner or later, he had to feel. He had to  _let_  himself feel. He couldn't bring himself to let anyone see him feeling so that was when he would go home and take a bath, hoping the water will shield him from the pain. But there were no bath tubs at school so Haru had to find refuge else where, in the confines of his dry school uniform. After one particularly bad interaction with the class bully, Haru locked himself in the gym's storage closet. Makoto was able to get him to unlock the door after murmuring through the door for twenty minutes. Instead of immediately leaving, the two sat there in the darkened closet, holding hands until Haru was ready.

“I need to know that it’s you who wants me to come out,  _you_. Not anyone else,” Haru explained in a quiet tone as the two walked home later that day. Makoto agreed and suggested that they use Morse Code, being a simple pattern of raps or taps that can be communicated through doors. They both settled on the rhythm for “Are you alright? I’m here” and “Yes, I’m coming out” for the reply. Thankfully, Makoto has only had to use the code half a dozen times.

A pang of sadness shot through him; he'd have to use it tonight.

Makoto rapped his knuckles on the wooden door in the pattern, hoping Haru wasn’t underwater and would recognize it, from all those years before. He put his back to the door and waited, a fresh wave of worry causing his fingers to restlessly tap against the floor. A few minutes later, he felt Haru rap back only half of the reply, “Yes.” Makoto waited but the “I’m coming out” wasn’t forthcoming.

Anxious, he spoke through the door. “Hey, what happened to the rest of it? Aren’t you going to come out?”

Makoto heard the rustling of a towel and then Haru’s soft but strained voice.

“Is she gone?”

Makoto felt the guilt explode in his stomach. It was all his fault that Haru got messed up with Kaneko and the fact that he was locking himself  away was proof that she really hurt him. He put a hand to his sternum, chest throbbing painfully.

He replied, his voice ragged with empathy. “Yes, I led her out about fifteen minutes ago. Don’t worry. It's just you and me right now.”

Haru sighed in relief.

The doorknob remained motionless. 

Makoto turned around to face the door and imagined what Haru looked like on the other side:  hair wet from the bath, towel draped over crestfallen shoulders, hands balled into fists in his lap, mouth set into a hard line. But not out of anger but out of _fear_. Fear that nothing will be alright again if he caved in. If he let himself feel. If he let himself show it. If someone _saw_  him show it. 

Makoto squared his shoulders and took a breath. He knew what to do.

He started a conversation with a question. "Did the water help?"

He heard the towel rustle again and imagined Haru would be holding it to his face, trying to block everything out. 

His reply was muffled and pained. "No. It turned against me." 

A pang of unease shot through him; this meant Haru was on the verge of breaking.

He took a moment to think through what he was about to say. He had to get it right. This was his chance to make everything alright again. 

"She's wrong. She's got this all wrong. Kaneko was so infatuated with me, she would have done anything to keep me from showing affection to you. She took advantage of you and twisted the truth to the point where she made you believe that she, a girl I've only known for 4 months, knew me better than the boy I've known my whole life." He gave Haru a moment to mull over the absurdity of it all. 

"Contrary to her belief, Kaneko actually didn't know anything about me, well nothing important.  The important thing here is, I  _am_ interested in guys and it just so happens the guy I've fallen in love with just so happens to be a gloomy sullen swim fanatic. And let me tell you, Haru, I'm  _crazy_  for him."

_This_  was the truth. 

In it's entirety. 

Makoto placed a hand on the door.

Almost there. 

"I know you Haru, and you know me better than any girl ever will. You know me well enough that I would have told you a long time ago if this wasn’t meant to be, but I told you. I told you that day, the day you won that race, the day we won the relay, that I wasn’t leaving."

He heard the rustle again and two shadows appeared under the door.

Seven more words.

"I love you. I'm here to stay."

The doorknob rattled and the door fell away from his hand. The air left his body as Haru fell into his arms, wet hair cool against his neck. Makoto sighed in relief and wrapped his arms around him, ignoring the cold water running into his shirt. Haru was trembling slightly so he murmured to him soothingly.

“I’m not going anywhere, I’m right here.”

Haru smelled like lavender soap. Makoto was about to inhale the calming floral scent when he felt Haru’s lips brush his neck, murmuring inaudibly.

“Sorry, I didn’t catch that. What did you say?” He brought his head down to Haru's and nudged him out of the crook of his neck.

Haru took a deep breath to calm down, voice raw.  “Are…are you sure you want to stay? I’m just… I’m just…me.”

Haru fidgeted, fingers pulling worryingly at his flannel shirt. “Swimming… swimming is the only thing I can do right. It’s the only thing I know I won’t screw up.”

"I can't ... I can't even handle  _myself_ right..."

Haru pulled away and held his head in his trembling hands.

“How… how can… how can someone like me… possibly be enough for someone like you?”

Haru choked on the last word and Makoto felt a stabbing pain, as if his heart was being squeezed. Haru opened his mouth to say something but Makoto won’t let him. He  _couldn’t_  let Haru say anything more.

He took Haru’s hands away from his head and pulled him in by the wrists, pressing his lips to his in a gentle kiss. Haru wisely decided to stop talking and placed his trembling hand to Makoto’s cheek. With his fingertips, he tapped the second half of the code.

Makoto felt all the tension leave his body.

He brought him back.

The kiss broke and he leaned in until their foreheads touched.

“Alright?”

Haru closed his eyes and nodded.

With his hands still wrapped around Haru’s wrists, he whispered “Just in case.”

He proceeded to press small kisses to Haru’s cheeks, the tip of his nose, forehead, chin, above each eye. Haru didn’t stop him although his face grew warmer and redder with every kiss.         

Finally, Makoto kissed his lips one last time and drew away, grinning widely to see Haru was red as a tomato and shocked silent. Makoto pulled him into his arms once more and carded his hand through Haru’s drying hair.

“You’re wrong, you know. Not only are you right for swimming, you are so right for me.”

Haru gave a small cough; from embarrassment not illness.

Surrounded by the lavender scent, Makoto knew at that moment that he found  _the_  someone. The someone who’ll give him everything he ever wanted.

“Nanase Haruka, you are the only person I’ve ever felt this way for.”

Being the cheesy hopeless romantic he was, he added, “I have you and you’re all I ever need.”

Haru gave a soft chuckle, breath warm against his chest. "Did you just quote your own email?"

Makoto laughed and took his hands and gave them a playful squeeze.

“Haru-chan,” he said softly.

Haru looked up at him and for a moment, Makoto thought he saw the faintest glimmer of tears in his blue eyes.

“You’re enough. In fact, you’re more than enough for me.”

Haru burrowed himself into his arms once more, the tips of his ears a flaming red.

Makoto smiled and rested his cheek against the blue-eyed boy’s dark head.

This beat studying any day. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just want to say thank you so much for the comments and kudos! To a beginner like me at writing fan fiction, it means the world when you say things like "I loved this chapter" or "I can't wait for more!" It's the best motivation :")


	8. Ours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amazing what Taylor Swift does for a fluffy writer like me.

Haru would have been happy to sit on the floor in Makoto's arms all day, but his head had other plans. Haru winced and squirmed out of Makoto's embrace, the pain lancing through his forehead. Makoto's smile disappeared to be replaced by a grimace and his green eyes clouded with worry.

"Are you ok?"

Haru brought his hands up to his head and massaged his temples. The pain had increased, thanks to his breakdown.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a headache." Makoto leaned forward and touched his cheek.

"How long have you had it?"

Haru bit his lip and tried not to look too guilty. "Since yesterday. But it's getting better, don't worry."

Makoto sighed and kissed the tip of his nose. Haru felt himself heat up.

 _That makes 10 kisses today_ , Haru thought in a pleasant daze. But who's counting.

Makoto rose from the floor and stretched, his kneecaps popping from being on the floor for so long. He held out his hand and Haru let himself be pulled up.

“Come on, let’s get you some medicine.”

Makoto took him to the kitchen and sat him down on one of the empty chairs. The table was still covered with paper but they were neatly stacked and the textbooks were put into a pile. Haru touched his face, all the places Makoto had kissed him. They felt warm and tingly, his lips especially.

Makoto brought over two pills and a cup of liquid Tylenol. He sat in the chair beside him, and took the pills between his fingers. “Open up!”

Haru smiled and took them from his fingers, swallowing them down easier than before. Makoto gave him the cup of medicine and Haru drank it quickly, careful to not let the grape taste coat his tongue again. The pounding in his head began to lessen somewhat. Makoto took the cup back to the sink and called back from over his shoulder.

“Do you need anything else? Water? Food?” Haru shook his head and rose from the chair.

“I think I’ll take another nap, and that way you can get more studying done.”

He turned around and walked out of the kitchen back towards the bed. Suddenly, Makoto’s arms wrapped around his torso from behind and he felt soft brown hair fall against his neck. Haru stood still and let himself be held for a moment longer, the scent of starch and lavender mingling together.

“I have an idea,” Makoto murmured into his neck.

Haru's heart skipped a beat. “Wh-what?”

Makoto released him and pointed to the bed. “You get settled, I’ll be there in a moment.”

Haru did as he was told and all the while felt the blush return tenfold.

_What is he thinking?_

Haru climbed into bed and pulled the covers up to his chest. He fluffed the pillows and gratefully laid himself back against them. This afternoon was proving to be more taxing than any swimming practice. Makoto came up to him with a textbook clasped in one hand.

“Alright, move over. Make some room for me!”

His green eyes were sparkling and his trademark sunny grin sent flutters through Haru’s stomach.

He scooted across the mattress and moved off of the pillows. Makoto easily slid in the space with the pillows to his back and Haru to his front. Gently, Makoto pulled Haru into his chest, arms arranged to seat him comfortably. Haru could feel Makoto’s heart beat through his back and the muscles of his chest rising and falling with every breath.

He sighed and felt the warmth bubble through him. Makoto hummed a tune that sounded suspiciously like Old Codex’s  _RAGE ON_  contently as he flipped through the pages of his textbook. After a few minutes of humming, Makoto propped his head onto Haru’s shoulder in order to read better. Haru flushed from the contact of Makoto’s skin against his. As Makoto read, Haru flicked his gaze to the side and watched those green eyes follow the trail of written words on the pages. He still smelled like starch and also faintly of salt from the snack food. Haru laid his cheek next to his, and gave a deep inward sigh of disbelief.

_How am I enough for him? He’s…_

Haru recalled how Makoto was able to bring him out from behind the door. No one else could have done it like that.

Patiently. Kindly. Warmly 

_Everything._

Haru closed his eyes and felt a wave of shame pass through him.

 _He’s not only told me, he's shown me how much he cares... how much he ... loves me._ Haru felt a jolt in his stomach from the weight of the word.

 _ **Why**  can’t I tell him? Why can’t I just say three little words?_ 

 _Three words_.

He opened his eyes and murmured, “Makoto”.

The green-eyed boy pressed back against his cheek lightly in response. “What is it?”

 _Say it. Say it. SAY IT_.

Haru felt a panicky, choking feeling come across him and blurted out “Why didn’t you tell Mei that we were together?” instead. 

He gave in inward groan.  _Three words Haru, THREE WORDS!_

Makoto took note of the page he was on and closed the textbook. He put it by the foot of the bed and wrapped his arms around him, the beat of Makoto's heart a soft thud to his back

“I’m really sorry about that. I thought that I could avoid another rejection, just until exams were over... but then you got sick and Mei really needed help with the symposium report.”

Makoto sighed. “I thought that I could juggle between caring for you and helping her out but I guess my heart wasn’t into studying, not with you there. All I wanted to do this afternoon... all I  _really_  wanted to do... I just really wanted to kiss you again.”

Haru blushed and felt a pang of guilt shoot through him. “I’m sorry, I should have just stayed in bed while you two studied.”

Makoto tightened his embrace. “No Haru, I would rather have Mei be jealous than exclude you. It’s alright now, I told her in person when you were in the bathroom.”

Shocked, Haru shifted his body around so he could see Makoto’s face. “How did she react?”

His green eyes dimmed with sadness. “She asked if I was gay and I gave her my answer. She didn’t take to it very well but she deserved to know the truth." Makoto tried to keep the strain out his voice. "Kaneko Mei was the first person to openly show hostility toward my sexual orientation, but I know she is most definitely not the only one who will.”

Haru grimaced and felt another, stronger wave of guilt pass through him. “I’m sorry, it’s my fault-”

“Fault?” Makoto’s arms tightened even more, and Haru felt the beat of Makoto's heart quicken. “Haru, none of this is your fault! This isn't a mistake!"

Makoto began to tremble.

"Don't you understand," his voice ragged, "I want this, I want  _you_! You're not a mistake!"

Haru took hold of Makoto's shoulders. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked you. I'm sorry."

"No! Haru, stop apologising! I swear, if you say ‘I’m sorry’ one more time I’m going to -”

His voice broke and Haru gasped as tears started to trickle down his face. Falling from his beautiful green eyes. Makoto was crying for him. He won't allow it. He couldn't allow it. Without a second thought, Haru leaned up and kissed him, his fingers gripping the flannel of Makoto's sleeves. Makoto trembles subsided and instantly leaned down to keep their lips from parting. Haru cupped his cheek and brushed it softly, tingles erupting in his fingertips. They broke away and Haru gently wiped away the tears with his thumb.

“I’m sorry-”

“Haru, what did I just say?” 

He blanched and Makoto took his hand, lacing his fingers with his. With their hands entwined, Makoto leaned down until their foreheads were touching and they could see eye to eye.

“I don’t care what others will say about us. You’re my boyfriend and I won’t let anything or anyone change that."

Makoto closed his eyes for a moment, as if he were steeling himself for what he was about to say.

For dramatic effect.

"This love... this love that I have for you, it isn’t what they’ll call 'normal', and I am definitely not a perfect boyfriend.” Makoto gave a small chuckle. Haru opened his mouth to say, “You’re wrong” but found that there were lips in the way.

“Nevertheless,” Makoto kissed him lightly to stop him from speaking. “This love is mine to give, and I chose to give it to you.”

There was nothing but sincerity in his tone, and his voice rang with conviction.

Makoto cupped his face and Haru saw the softest green gaze yet .

“Now, my love is yours."

Haru's heart stopped. 

"Now, this love is ours.”

 In that moment, Haru felt something fill up inside him. Could it be... the void?

  _Ours._  

The word echoed, sending ripples of warmth across the writhing chilling entity that had fought him not so long ago.

_Ours._

The ripples transformed into waves and crashed against it, sending it back to the darkness of the void. The waves calmed into the clear blue water, the water that could set him free once more.

_Ours._

As the echo faded away, the void ceased its pulsing pain and sank beneath the water, disappearing under the rippling blue, leaving no trace of it behind. A single ripple spread across the blue and it was no more. A wave of warmth passed through him.

He was finally complete. 

Whole. 

There was nothing left to say, there was nothing he  _could_ say to express what he was feeling.

But he wouldn't hold it inside. Not anymore.

This, he will let himself feel.

He pressed a soft kiss to Makoto's cheek and let his head rest against his chest, fingers curling into the soft flannel.

_These three words... I'll tell them to you soon, I promise._

His eyelids slowly closed and drifted asleep to the rhythm of Makoto’s heartbeat.

This beat swimming any day.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t believe how fluffy I’m making this, I just can’t. I did say it was ‘super’ fluffy but this is turning EXTREMELY fluffy. These swimmer boys will be the death of me I swear. Did anyone catch the (somewhat forced) Old Codex reference? If you did, *virtual fist bump*


	9. Three Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who started the IB program? This girl! *falls to the floor crying* And so it begins; my two years of hell.

Makoto turned the last page of his textbook and read through the paragraphs, urging his drooping eyelids to stay open. With a sleepy smile, he placed the book down and brought his arms around the blue-eyed boy, who was sleeping soundly against his chest. He gently brushed the dark bangs and Haru unconsciously smiled at the touch. He leaned back against the stack of pillows and closed his eyes, the sound of Haru’s soft snores fading away.

The first lights of the snowy Tokyo skyline began to glow through the windows when Makoto felt a soft nudge on his shoulder. He drowsily opened one eye to see Haru trying to rouse him whilst still enfolded in the embrace.

He leaned forward and pressed a sleepy, soft kiss to Haru’s right cheek and pulled his arms away. Blushing, Haru rose from the bed and stretched, his joints cracking from being held for so long. He watched as Haru smoothed out his sleep-wrinkled clothes and brushed his bead head into order. Haru noticed him watching and gave a small cough.

“I can make dinner, if you feel like eating now.”

Makoto felt his stomach rumble at the mention of food and smiled. “That would be great.” 

Haru nodded and walked into the kitchen. Makoto followed him and picked up his papers and textbooks from the table, then brought them over to the sofa. He began to leaf through the pages, making sense of which ones belonged to the symposium report and which ones belonged to Professor Iwanako’s seminars. With a grimace, he noticed how untidy his notes were from today’s study session compared to the previous ones.

“You were too keen on kissing Haru,” he mumbled to himself.

He brought out his notebook and started to rewrite them from memory on a fresh sheet of paper. He smiled as his pencil sailed across the page, jotting down all the information he was able to retain, despite the emotional afternoon. As he wrote, the smell of cooking mackerel and the sound of chopping filled the air. Makoto had just finished the second of five sheets when Haru poked his head out and called him over. “Dinner’s ready.”

Right on cue, Makoto’s stomach gave a huge rumble and he laughed, causing Haru to tilt his head in confusion. Makoto sprung up from the sofa and walked to the kitchen, pausing to give Haru another kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks, Haru-chan. It smells delicious.”

Makoto opened up the overhead cupboards and pulled out two mugs. He then filled the teapot up with water and placed it on the stove for it to boil. He rummaged around in the drawers until he found the hotel’s staple supply of tea bags. He had a feeling the tea wasn’t going to taste as nice as the hand brew his mother used to make for him, but now wasn’t the time to be picky.

He dropped one bag into each mug then watched as Haru placed two plates on the table, nudging the mackerel fish fillets onto them with the rubber spatula. The fish was marinated with what appeared to be plum sauce and the side of rice was garnished with crispy onion flakes. Next, Haru brought out a small garden salad and drizzled on some of his homemade dressing. He thoroughly tossed the salad until every vegetable was coated with the sweet vinaigrette. Haru set down the sets of cutlery while Makoto poured out the boiling water into each of the mugs.

He gave a small gasp as the water splashed onto his hand. Ignoring the slight pain, Makoto brought the mugs to the table. Haru's eyes flickered to the reddening patch of skin near his knuckle.

“What’s wrong with your hand?”

Makoto blinked from surprise of being noticed so quickly then sheepishly replied, “A little of the hot water splashed on it, don’t worry about it.”

Haru finished arranging the cutlery and took his burned hand, brow dipping in a slight frown. “Come on, let's put it under the sink for a minute. ”

He gave him a soft smile and stroked Haru’s worried fingers. “I’m sorry to have worried you.”

Haru sighed to mask his relief and brought him over to the sink, turning on the cold water to run over their hands.

As the pain from Makoto’s burn seeped away, he noticed that Haru’s hand needed cleaning anyways; plum sauce and sticky vinaigrette residue came off and swirled into the drain. Haru shut off the water and quickly dried their hands with a kitchen cloth. Neither of them made a move to let go, so they kept their fingers entwined as they walked back to the table and sat themselves down.

Haru pulled away so Makoto can clap his hands together. “Thank you for the food, Haru-chan.”

They started with the salad and Makoto was delighted to find tomatoes mixed in, as he was having a sudden craving for them. The vinaigrette made the watery, leafy greens much more appetising. Haru sipped his tea and Makoto laughed at his bitter expression.

“I miss Tami-san’s tea.”

Makoto smiled and replied, “I’ll let her know when I go back for New Years.”

He speared his last tomato and popped it into his mouth as Haru started digging into the mackerel. The plum sauce made the sometimes too salty fish extremely tasty and the onions in the rice added a pleasant crunchy texture. He’d forgotten how great Haru’s cooking was, then again, he’s had a lot of practice cooking mackerel.

Makoto swallowed his last bite of rice and took a swig of his lukewarm tea to wash it down. Haru was still eating, cutting each piece with tact and fully savouring his favourite fish. His blue eyes were indeed sparkling and Makoto could see the splotches starting to form on his cheeks. Whilst gazing, a sudden thought came to him.

“Hey… we’ve never gone…on a date, have we?”

Makoto felt himself turn beet red and Haru’s fork stopped moving.

Haru looked up from his food and pursed his lips. “You’re right…”

Haru looked down at his plate but he didn’t pick his fork back up.

Makoto wanted to punch himself. “Well, National’s was only a few months ago so – it’s not like we-  _I_ want to rush or anything-”

The unflustered part of his brain told him to shut up.

 _Now_.

“Isn’t this already a date?” 

Haru looked up and Makoto was surprised by how confident he sounded. Haru swallowed his last bite of fish and took a sip of tea.

“I feel like we’ve somehow switched, aren't I supposed to be the shy one?”

Makoto rubbed his neck, his embarrassment palpable.

Haru stacked the dirty dishes and pushed them to the corner of the table. Confidence dwindling, he wrapped his fingers around his mug and partially mumbled to his tea.

“It’s not the epic milestone depicted in rom coms, with the flowers and the box of chocolates... but I cooked mackerel and we ate it together. Just the two of us. Does… doesn’t that count?”

Makoto smiled, because it really did. He wasn’t that big on flowers anyways.

Embarrassment gone, Makoto reached across the table and took Haru’s hand, giving it a squeeze, and smirked.

“Almost, except for three things:  One, chocolates and flowers are more for Valentine's Day. Two, you cook mackerel every day, don’t you?” Haru squeezed back, and replied indignantly.

“Not like this, I never add the sauce and onions and I most certainly  ** _do not_**  willingly make a salad. This meal was special…”

Haru gave a cough and Makoto knew he was about to say something incredibly cheesy.

“This meal was special…”he repeated, “because I made it for you.”

 _I knew it_ , he thought to himself as his blush returned and felt his stomach pleasantly churn with flutters.

Normally, Haru would have shied away from his warm gazes but this time, he didn’t. Haru met his gaze and his blue eyes were shining with an unknown expression, from something other than the mackerel. What that something was... Makoto could guess but knew Haru wouldn’t be able to voice it just yet.

_He will, in time._

Makoto gave his hand one last squeeze then took his hand back to bring the stacked dishes to the sink. Haru was about to help but he placed a hand on his shoulder, pushing him back down.

“Oh no you don’t, oh sickly one. You sit here and finish your disappointing cup of tea. I'm on clean up duty.” Haru frowned, sighed, then sat back down, screwing up his face as he drank the rest of his tea.

Makoto chuckled and turned on the water, fiddling with the faucets until it was warm. He let the plates soak for a minute while he collected the cutlery and salad bowl. He placed the frying pan and spatula on the counter, thinking to tackle the oily dishes last. He picked up the soap bottle and squirted the lemony smelling detergent onto a dishevelled sponge. He scrubbed away the traces of food, washed away the soap suds, and carefully placed them to dry on the other side of the counter. To wash the pan and spatula, he made the water warmer, knowing the heat will cut through the oil better.

Within a few minutes, all the dishes were drying on the counter and Haru had finally finished his tea. He leaned over to take the empty mug but Haru gently touched his hand, stopping him for a moment.

“What is it?”

Haru turned in his chair so he was now facing him and looked up, blue eyes appearing darker in the shadow. “ What’s the third thing?”

Giddy, Makoto suppressed a smile because he was hoping Haru would catch the omission. But he was going to have a little fun first.

(For dramatic effect, of course.)

"What third thing," he replied innocently. 

Haru leaned forward, curiosity evident in his voice. "You know,  _the_  third thing. The third thing to make this our..."

Haru turned away, bright pink splotches appearing on his cheeks.

Makoto casually draped his arms over the back of the chair. "Our what?"

Haru turned around, accepting the fact that he was blushing. "Our first date."

"Ah, that third thing. This one's my favourite!" 

He leaned down and whispered, "The kiss," silencing Haru's startled gasp. Then he felt Haru's lip curve into a small smile and began to tug at the sleeves of his shirt to bring him lower. Makoto laughed and allowed himself to be pulled closer, gripping the back of the chair with one hand so he wouldn't fall. Heat rushed through him as Haru placed a hand on his neck, keeping him from pulling away. Their lips moved in time and grew warm, neither of them wanting to break for air. 

The third thing.

Finally, his common sense kicked in.

_You have to break away, you can't breathe._

Lungs burning, Makoto gasped and pulled away, his lips red and swollen. With his fingertips, he gently brushed them, expecting to feel tingles.

Nothing. They were numb.

"Haru," he said, breathless and grinning. Red-faced and gasping, Haru looked up at him.

"I just want you to know, you're an amazing cook and..." Makoto touched his lips one more time. "You’re also a really good kisser.”

Makoto plucked the mug from the table and quickly washed it in the sink. When he turned around, Haru was standing in the doorway, fingers to his lips, eyes downcast.

“It takes one to know,” Haru mumbled. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, I've made a swimmer boy rom com. WHAT HAVE I DONE. I don't know if I've gotten the hang of writing kissing scenes, I mean I blush every time I write them... is that a good thing? I'm such a hopeless single potato. I've been having a MAJOR tomato craving so I thought I'd give Makoto one as well! Again, I'm hopeless, I know.


	10. I'm Glad To Know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait lovelies! IB has taken my social life and leisure time away T^T But I'll do my best to write when possible!

With tingling lips, Haru wandered out of the kitchen and made his way back to the bed. The comforters were crumpled on the floor and the pillows were squished and deformed.

He remade the bed and then sat down on the edge, feeling pleasantly drained from making dinner. He pulled out his overnight bag and zipped it open, pulling out his proper sleeping attire. He was about to make his way to the bathroom to change when it hit him. There was no need. Not anymore.

He pulled off his sweater and draped it over the pillow. He quickly unbuttoned his white collared shirt and gingerly put on his sleeping shirt: blue cotton with a small white dolphin embroidered on the left sleeve. He had just started to pull off his jeans when Makoto poked his head out from the kitchen.

“Haru, I’m about to make hot chocolate – oh! Sorry!”

Face burning, Haru couldn’t help but grin at the green-eyed boy’s flabbergasted expression. Makoto blushed and turned his head the other way, so Haru could only see the back of his head and the tips of his ears, which were a flaming red.

“I would love some, thanks. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Makoto’s head disappeared and Haru finished pulling his jeans off and quickly pulled on his sleeping trousers, dark blue cotton with a white drawstring. He bundled his dirty clothes and stuffed them unceremoniously into his bag but kept his sweater out in case he got cold again. Very unlikely but with this close to recovery, he couldn’t take any chances. He sat down on the bed and fingered the grey wool, tracing the intricate knitted pattern.

_My race is tomorrow._

In all his years of competitive swimming, he never felt the jitters before a competition because having the fastest time didn’t matter back then. Now, his whole future depended on it. Haru picked up the sweater and held it to his chest, letting the small waves of anticipation pass through him.

_I swim because I want to._

_I swim for my future_.

Haru recalled the moment only a couple hours before when the void inside him was finally filled. Filled by the warmth and constancy of one person. Haru closed his eyes.

_I swim because I want to._

_I swim for my future_.

Green flashed under his eyelids.

_And… I swim for you._

Anticipation transformed into solid resolve.

_I will win._

_I will win for you._

The smell of warm milk and hot chocolate mix wafted from the kitchen. Haru tied the sleeves of the sweater around his waist and followed the pleasant aroma.

With pink ears, Makoto was stirring both cups when he walked in.

“I-I’m really sorry about that- I didn’t mean to,” Makoto stammered.

Haru touched the pink shell of his left ear, gave a small smile, and ended the gesture with a small kiss to his cheek.

“We’ve been swimming together since middle school and we’ve seen each other change plenty of times. And besides.”

Makoto rubbed his neck and tilted his head in embarrassment. Haru felt his own ears grow pink as he said, “I don’t mind, since it’s you.”

Makoto leaned forward and brushed his lips over Haru’s nose.

“Thank you for saying that,” he said softly and handed him his mug of hot chocolate.

Haru wrapped his fingers around it and took a small sip. Creamy chocolaty warmth coated his tongue and he shivered as the warmth spread from his mouth to the tips of his toes. They stood at the counter drinking for a few minutes in comfortable silence.

Makoto wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and set his mug down on the counter. He then checked his wristwatch and gave a small whistle. “Wow, it’s almost 10. You should probably get to bed and sleep off the rest of this cold so you’re ready for tomorrow.”

Haru finished his mug in one swallow and nodded in agreement. Butterflies took flight in his stomach when Makoto gently wiped away the chocolate from his face with his thumb. With the chocolate gone, he nuzzled his lips into Makoto’s hand and brushed them over his fingers.

“What about you?”

Makoto gave a small laugh, as his fingers were especially ticklish.

“I’m going to stay up for a little while longer, I have to finish rewriting notes.”

Makoto gently drew his fingers away and brought the two empty mugs to the sink to be washed in the morning.

He returned swiftly and pulled him into a soft embrace. Haru took a deep breath and was filled with the scent of warm milk, chocolate, and of course, lavender.

“You smell so good,” Haru mumbled into the crook of his neck.

He felt Makoto grin into his hair.

“I’m glad to know that my boyfriend finds me pleasing to the nose.”

Warmth rushed through him as the word ‘boyfriend’ echoed pleasantly in his ears.

Makoto laughed and wrapped his arms tighter around him, as if he was trying to feel the warmth as well.

“Yeah, you’re my boyfriend,” he said with glee. “It feels amazing!”

Haru couldn’t help but laugh as well. He let himself be held for as long as he could, but he could feel sleep beckoning him.

He gave a small yawn and Makoto chuckled. “Someone’s sleepy,” he murmured.

Reluctantly, Haru drew away and felt his bare arms shiver in the cold kitchen air. Noticing his discomfort, Makoto quickly untied the sweater sleeves from around his waist and pulled the grey sweater over his head.

“Woah wait, hang on! I can’t see-”

A moment later, his head popped through the opening and he knew even without a mirror, that his hair was once again a mess.

With gentle movements, Makoto pulled his arms through the sleeves and pulled the hem down to cover the waistline of his sleeping trousers. He then rolled up the sleeves so his hands weren’t trapped in wool. Their fingers brushed and then entwined.

“You’re so cute,” Makoto whispered with a smile.

Warm again, Haru noticed a spot of chocolate on the corner of Makoto’s mouth. Leaning in, he murmured, “I’m glad to know my boyfriend finds me pleasing to the eye.”

“Hey, that’s my cheesy line, don’t you go stealing it-”

Not letting him finish, Haru kissed him, hesitated, then shyly cleaned the chocolate away with his tongue. Makoto gave a startled gasp then giggled and pulled away.

“Why did you do that?”

Haru shrugged, stomach roiling with flutters. “There was chocolate.”

“You’re like a cat cleaning her kittens,” Makoto replied with a laugh.

“It always comes back to cats with you, doesn’t it,” Haru stated, red-faced.

Makoto nodded enthusiastically, unabashed. “They are the cutest animals to ever walk the face of the planet! They’re fluffy, gentle, and  _excellent_ cuddle buddies.”

Haru stifled a laugh as his adoring rant about cats continued for another minute or so.

Makoto wrapped up his rant with “I’d buy a kitten in a heartbeat” and a sunny grin, giving Haru an idea. Drowsy, he tucked the idea away for another time.

Makoto ruffled Haru's sweater-swept hair, making it more unruly. "Ok, Haru-chan. Get some sleep and leave this cat-lover alone to study." 

Haru sighed and shook his hair back to order. Without giving himself time to think, he rose up and kissed the tip of Makoto's nose. 

"Why did you do that," he asked with soft green eyes. 

Haru coughed and turned away then mumbled, "Goodnight."

Cheeks burning, he turned around and walked out of the kitchen. He was about to leave the entryway when Makoto called out, "Haru."

He turned and Makoto was rubbing his neck again and eyeing the floor intently, like it was a sheet out of his textbook. 

"Be sure to leave some space for me," he mumbled.                                                                                              

* * *

 

The snow fall became heavier, the view from the kitchen window completely obscured by fluffy white flakes. Makoto yawned into the back of his hand and stretched, causing his shoulders to twinge. He had to work on his studying posture. He picked up his pencil again and quickly finished his last sheet of notes, sleep itching at his eyes. 

His wristwatch beeped, signalling quarter to midnight. He shuffled his notes together in order and allowed himself to read through them twice over. There was no point in writing and rewriting notes if he couldn't take the material to heart and effectively apply it. Terms and regulations underlined with his highlighters sprung off the pages, sparking the correct definitions and explanations stored in his memory. He quickly cracked open his study guide to identify a term he'd forgotten to highlight and paraphrased the definition to his liking, then added it to the bottom of his last page. At five minutes to midnight, he nodded to himself and put down his notes and closed his study guide. He cleaned up his supplies and put them back in his pencil case. With cramped fingers, he removed his reading glasses and put them down beside his pencil case.  

Makoto flicked off the kitchen light, and the shadows of blowing snow and the pale light of the waning moon filled the room. He gave his eyes a moment to adjust to the change in lightning then tiptoed out of the kitchen, past the bed, and over to the sofa to his overnight bag. He cringed as the zipper cut the silence and blindly dug around among his belongings until he felt the fabric of his sleep wear. He quickly looked over his shoulder to the bed and was relived to find Haru fast asleep, his snores a soft mumble. He turned back around and sighed in disbelief as his ears started to turn pink, in spite of it all. 

_He's not even awake, there's no reason to feel embarrassed. And besides... it's Haru, so you don't really mind do you?_

Makoto unbuttoned his shirt and started to make a laundry pile beside the sofa. His bare chest shivered and he quickly pulled on his sleeping shirt: white cotton with a pocket on the left hand side. He pulled off his jeans and was about to throw them to the floor when he remembered that his cell phone was in the pockets. He hurriedly began to pat the pockets, trying to remember which one held his phone when Haru gave a loud grunt. Makoto froze and waited until the grunt faded into a snore, found the phone, then threw his jeans on top of his flannel shirt.

With the phone clenched in one hand, he tried to pull on his sleep shorts ( light grey cotton with a drawstring ) single handedly. Panic exploded in his stomach and grim resignation filled his mind as he lost his balance and fell to the floor, hitting his arm against the side of the sofa in the process. 

"Ow," he muttered through gritted teeth. He picked himself up and rubbed his throbbing arm, a large bruise already starting to form. 

"Makoto? Are you alright?" 

 _Crap, I woke him up._ "Yeah, I just banged my arm. I'm sorry for waking you." 

He saw Haru's face, illuminated by the moonlight. It was creased with worry. 

Makoto made his way towards him and sat at the foot of the bed, nudging his knee. 

"Hey, what's with that face? I'm fine." 

Haru reached out and lightly trailed his fingers over the bruise. "It's just... you give really nice hugs."

His heart swelled as Haru's face softened and his eyes shone with that peculiar expression, the same one from dinner. "I really like your arms."

 _He's getting there,_ Makoto thought happily. 

With his uninjured arm, he pulled Haru into a one arm embrace and planted a kiss to his cheek. "And I really like having my arms around you," he replied. 

Eyes downcast and cheeks flaming, Haru drew away simply moved over, leaving a spot for him under the covers. 

Makoto felt himself flush and slid into the spot. He swallowed as he brushed against the dark blue cotton of Haru's leg. Once he was settled, Haru shifted the pillow towards him and pulled the covers higher until they were both covered.

"What about you? Don't you need the pillow?" 

Haru gave him a small smile and curled himself in the hollow between his neck and his hip, fitting perfectly. He rested his head against his shoulder and murmured. "Don't worry, you got me covered."

Makoto gave a soft chuckle and brought his arms around him, trying to ignore the pulsing pain in his arm. Haru mumbled into his neck, tickling him with his lips.

"What took you so long?" 

He closed his eyes and pressed a last kiss to Haru's dark head. "I'm glad to know that I'm worth the wait." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GAWWW THE FLUFF! I had way too much fun writing this chapter (too much). Anybody else feeling like drinking hot chocolate now? No? Huh, maybe it's just me :3 Thank you so much for all the kudos, comments, and now bookmarks! It's an honour to write for this pairing and this fandom!


	11. Why He Gets Butterflies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For giving me +100 kudos, I give you: ALL MY ETERNAL FLUFFY LOVE AND GRATITUDE. Thank you so very much <3 <3 <3 <3 *virtual hugs to you all*

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead."

Eyes still closed, Haru groaned and wrapped his arms tighter around Makoto's torso. He felt Makoto’s chest shudder from laughter, and underneath, the steady beat of his heart, the beat he'd fallen asleep to. He pressed his cheek into the soft white cotton of his sleep shirt and was wrapped in the scent of clean, warm linen. Makoto's arms briefly came around him and his back tingled from the touch. 

"Just a little longer," Haru mumbled.

He felt Makoto try to wriggle out of his arms. “Come on Haru, your race is today. We have to get yourself ready-”

With a sleepy sigh he opened his eyes so he can find Makoto’s face. Anxious green eyes peered down at him, and he could tell that Makoto was torn between choosing to be a responsible friend or a cuddly boyfriend.

Haru made the decision for him.

He cupped his face with drowsy fingers and Makoto gave a startled gasp as his lips met his in a soft kiss. It took only a moment for the kiss to deepen and the dormant butterflies in his stomach took flight. Makoto sighed against his lips and he pulled away, giving him a small smile. Makoto brought his head back down to the crook in his neck and brushed his lips against his forehead, trailing through the obscuring dark bangs.

Haru brought his arms around his torso once more. "Ok?" 

Makoto wrapped his arms around him, one hand resting on the back of his neck and the other on his lower back. He began to trace small circles on the latter. “Ok, but just for a few minutes.”

Smiling, Haru closed his eyes again. The beat of Makoto’s heart quickened exponentially when he pressed a kiss to his collarbone. Makoto’s ankle brushed his toes, causing them to curl from the erupting tingles.

After ten minutes have passed, Makoto chuckled, as Haru’s grip on him wasn’t loosening. “You really don’t want to get up, do you?”

Haru kissed him again, this time nipping his bottom lip for a moment. Makoto flushed, his neck turning pink against the white cotton.“What gave you that idea?” Haru whispered, breathless.

Fingers curled under his chin and tilted his head up until their lips brushed once more. Haru felt his entire body flood with warmth as Makoto pressed small kisses to cheek, his hand rubbing circles into his back. Makoto kissed the tip of his nose and his hand came to rest. He drew away soon after. Haru's cheeks felt bare without his lips pressed against them.

Makoto scooted himself down the mattress until his head was level with Haru's chest. He nuzzled his way into the blue cotton of his sleep shirt and wrapped his arms around him. Brown hair tickled his chin.

"If we're going to stay here any longer, then you have to let me cuddle you. Deal?"

Haru rested his arms against the green-eyed boy's broad shoulders and nodded ascent. They lay there in their new positions for a few minutes then Makoto's breathing slowed to the rhythm of sleep and Haru muffled a chuckle. 

_Now who's the sleepy head?_

Morning light shone against the drawn curtains and the smallest flakes of snow darted across the fabric, leaving minute shadows. Haru craned his neck to catch a glimpse of Makoto's wristwatch lying on the bed side table. The LED display said 8:45. He would really have to get up soon.

But for once, he wasn't feeling the tugging excitement that always took hold of him on the day of a competition. Normally, he would be up at 7:00 to wash his swimsuit and polish his goggles. Then, he would be in the bathtub from 7:30 until however long it took for him to feel ... connected.

One with the water. At peace with the water.

It was hard to describe but this was a feeling only the water could give him. If he wasn't able to feel it, it indicated that there was something wrong. And by wrong, meaning there was a distraction.

A distraction that  _had_  to be taken care of before his race.

In the Iwatobi Swim Club days, the distraction was usually his void, encouraging his most troubling thoughts to plague his confidence in the water and to doubt the bond he shared with it. He was able to overcome by practicing their three-man relay. Seeing his friends swim and smile and being pulled out of the water by Makoto's strong hands was all it took. 

Now that Haru was swimming professionally, he couldn't afford to let his thoughts wander to anywhere else  _but_  the water. If he lost any race, his chances of getting to swim again lowered, as he had to represent the university to the best of his ability.

No more distractions could be tolerated. 

Makoto's wristwatch beeped, bringing Haru out of his thoughts. Absentmindedly, his hand had been trailing through Makoto's hair. The green-eyed boy stirred then woke up, grumbling faintly as he reached over and turned the alarm off. Makoto sighed and slowly moved out of Haru's arms until he was sitting upright on top of the covers. He gave a soft yawn and stretched, his arms rising above his head, his broad shoulders flexing under his sleep shirt. 

With his back to him, Makoto couldn’t see the smile on Haru’s face. Warmth and affection welled up inside him and his heart pounded with the sensation. He felt three words just begging to be said, ready to roll off his tongue in an instant. He took a breath and opened his mouth but the familiar chocking sensation came back. He felt his throat close up and his flutters spiked into nerves. To his dismay, his hands began to shake and Haru closed his eyes in frustration.

 _My first kiss was easier than this_ , he thought in exasperation.

He could kiss Makoto with no trouble now, but couldn’t tell him  _why_  he kissed him. He couldn’t tell him the reason  _why_  his skin tingled or  _why_ his heart sped or  _why_  his breath gets taken away.

Why he gets butterflies.

“Haru?”

He opened his eyes. Makoto had turned around and his face was scrunched into a worried frown.

“Are you alright? Did your headache come back?”

Haru quickly shook his head. “I’m alright. I was just…thinking.”

Makoto’s frown disappeared and his face took on a more sympathetic look. He gently took one of Haru’s hands and held it between his own.

“Is it your race,” he asked as he rubbed the back of his hand with his palm.

Haru tried to ignore the tingles traveling under his skin. “Sort of…”

Makoto chuckled and took Haru’s other hand. “Sort of?”

Haru fidgeted. “It’s not the race, it’s really more the…

He looked into those green eyes and felt a flutter _._

_Butterflies._

“The distraction.”

Haru couldn’t help but chuckle under his breath as Makoto rubbed his hands. It tickled.

“What’s distracting you this time?”

Makoto’s golden brown skin seemed to glow in the morning light.

“Butterflies,” Haru mumbled.

“What-“

A buzzing noise cut through the air. Makoto rummaged around in his pockets until he pulled out his cell phone. It was vibrating.

“Excuse me, Haru-chan.” Makoto pressed a quick kiss to the tip of nose then brought the phone to his ear, pressing the button to accept the call.

“Hello? Nagisa!” Makoto’s face broke into a wide grin. “How are you? I’m with Haru-chan so of course I’m feeling great.” Makoto sent him a sunny grin, leaving Haru breathless and blushing.

“Wow, you and Rei? Really? He’s going to be so glad to see you! Oh! Rei-san! I’m glad to hear the swim club is running smoothly. Hmm?”

Makoto casually reached out and grasped Haru’s hand again, trailing his fingers over his knuckles.

“Yes, my last exam is tomorrow.”

Makoto paused, Rei-san’s voice sounding dimly through the phone. His expression grew uneasy, uncomfortable at making someone worry on his behalf.

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine! And what else could I do? I couldn’t just leave Haru by himself; he wouldn’t have gotten better in time. Yes, as soon as the race is done, I’m going back to the dorm for one last study session. Yes, thank you Rei-san. Oh! Hi again, Nagisa.”

Makoto laughed and Haru could faintly hear Rei’s yelling at Nagisa , indignant at being interrupted.

“Well then, I guess we’ll be seeing you two at the race! Have a safe trip to Tokyo. See you soon.”

Makoto hung up and tucked his cell phone away, his face a light with another warm smile.

“Judging by the conversation, I assume you know who’s coming to see your race.”

Haru shrugged, disguising the joy and anticipation welling up inside.

His team. The three of them. Watching him swim his first competition in Tokyo.

There was no way he could lose now.

Makoto checked his wristwatch. “It’s almost 9:30. Wanna eat breakfast?”

Haru’s stomach gave a loud rumble at the mention of food.

Makoto chuckled at the noise and climbed off the bed, leaving his arm and hand outstretched to pull Haru up.

The gesture was so familiar and with a start, and, Haru realised, so comforting. Makoto had been pulling him out of bathtubs since the beginning; the customary linking of hands. It left a warm feeling and as the years went by, a subtle fluttering sensation. Here he was again, waiting to bring him up. But now, the feeling was mutual.

Haru took his hand and felt himself be lifted. The room’s chill didn’t have time to seep into his skin because he was pulled into a soft embrace. Makoto dropped his head until his hair brushed the side of Haru’s neck, his long arms draped over Haru’s shoulders.

Haru waited for the green-eyed boy to pull away, but it wasn’t forthcoming. Amused, he said, “You really don’t want to get up, do you?”

He laughed as he felt Makoto’s lips tickle his neck. “What gave you that idea?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff. That’s all there is to it. I’m spoiling myself rotten writing like this.


	12. Is He Your Boyfriend?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait lovelies, school and choir have taken my life by storm.  
> But on the lighter side, Happy October! Let's get back to the fluff, shall we?

Makoto finished tying the laces on his winter boots. "Haru, you ready to go?" he called out to the room, his voice slightly muffled from the scarf wrapped around his face. Haru appeared moments later, garbed in similar winter gear except his scarf was grey instead of checkered red. A bulky sports bag was slung over his shoulder and Makoto could see the faint glimmer of swimming goggles in the netted compartment. Haru's dark hair was still slightly damp from his pre-competition bath. 

As baths go, it was one of the quickest ones he'd ever taken because he insisted on making Makoto breakfast. For way of thanks, Makoto decided to take him out for a hot drink before his warm up call at the pool. As Haru laced up his trainers, Makoto's stomach fluttered with anticipation. Besides the dinner from last night, this was going to be the first time they hung out together as a couple.

In public.

It was natural for him to freak out a little but this was something else entirely.  He was going to let the world know that he was on a date.

With Haru.

His boyfriend. 

"Makoto, you ok?" 

With a start, he brought his attention to the boyfriend in question. He couldn't help but grin widely and Haru's cheeks reddened from the warmth in his gaze.

"I'm more than ok, I'm great." 

Makoto opened the door and closed it behind them. He slipped on his gloves and gently took one of Haru's hands. The blue-eyed boy glanced to the side, embarrassed as their fingers slowly entwined. The elevator ride was silent and the lobby was empty, except for the receptionist who had kindly escorted Makoto to the hotel room two nights past. Their shoes squeaked against the clean tiles, causing her to look up from typing at her desk. 

"Where are you two headed?" she asked with a smile. 

Makoto pulled down his scarf in order to reply. "Haru's swimming competition but first, we would like to sit down and have a hot drink. Do you by any chance know of any good teashops or cafes?" 

She gave a small chuckle. "I have just the spot, Mr.Tachibana." With a flourish, she produced a small business card from her blazer and slid it onto her desk. Makoto released Haru's hand to walk over and pick it up. His face split into a wide grin and couldn't but laugh at the name of the cafe, scrawled in a pretty cursive font. According to the address, they would have to take the local transit to the east side of the city. It was a five minute walk from the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

Makoto slipped the card into his pocket and bowed to the receptionist."It's the perfect spot, thank you very much." 

She rose from her chair and gave a short bow in return. She motioned to Haru waiting by the door and her voice dropped to a softer tone. 

"Is he your boyfriend?" 

Makoto felt a blush blossom across his face and tried to keep from stuttering. "Y-yes ma'am. He is."

For a moment, Makoto thought her face would go cold, just like Mei's did. To his immense relief and delight, her smile widened. 

"That's really sweet. I hope you two have a lovely day."

Makoto quickly rubbed his eyes and managed to say, "Thank you" as he walked back to Haru on shaky legs. Seeing his flustered state, Haru promptly held the door open and let Makoto pass through. They pulled up their scarves and began the trek through the snow across the hotel's front garden and parking lot. A slight breeze blew snowflakes in their faces, leaving their exposed skin pink and chilled. 

After a few minutes of walking in silence, Haru gave a small sigh and asked, "So where are we going?" 

Still stunned from the receptionist's reaction, Makoto slowly brought out the business card and handed it to Haru. Haru's eyes widened and his face turned a darker shade of pink from embarrassment. They reached the sidewalk of the main road and Makoto felt a small twinge in his stomach. He felt it again when a middle aged man with earmuffs walked past, catching his eye for a second, then looked away. His nerves refused to settle even as they reached the deserted snow covered train terminal, paid for their tickets, and hopped onto to the east bound train. Except for the two of them and a girl listening to her headphones, the car was empty. 

The city of Tokyo sped by the windows, a grey-black blur against the white backdrop of the falling snow. Makoto sat himself down on a bench, padded with a bright red fabric. Haru dropped his sports bag on the floor and sat down beside him, stretching out his legs until their knees bumped. The girl on the other side of the car took her gaze off the passing pine trees and looked at them for a few moments. She turned back to the window, her face revealing nothing of what she thought of them. 

 _That's the second person to look at us... Am I seriously going to count how many people will look at us today?_  

He cast a quick glance at Haru, who was looking straight ahead, unfazed by the stranger's ogling. 

_I think we have switched. I've become the shy one._

"Hey."

Makoto was fidgeting in his coat when all of a sudden, Haru leaned into his shoulder and pressed a soft kiss to his freezing cheek. He turned his head to watch as Haru moved in closer and took one of his gloved hands. The girl dug out her ipod and discreetly lowered the volume by a few notches. He took a deep breath and the twinges in his stomach faded away to be replaced by the warm flutters from Haru's affectionate gestures.

If Haru could handle being in public together, then so could he. 

Makoto looked down at their entwined fingers. He  slowly pulled his hand from Haru's grip to take off his gloves. "You didn't tell me you didn't bring any gloves, Haru-chan." 

Haru shrugged and cupped his hands together, blowing into them to warm his frigid fingers. Makoto sighed, the cold air turning his breath into a white puff of steam.

"Here, take them.You can't greet the water with frozen fingers now, can you?" Haru started to shake his head but Makoto simply took both his hands and slipped on the gloves before he could utter a single protest

His smaller fingers didn't completely fill the glove, making Makoto giggle. Haru frowned and pointed at his hands, which were starting to turn pink in the cold.

"What about you? Don't you need them?" Makoto clasped his hands together and held them out to him. Confused, Haru wrapped his hands around them.

Makoto leaned in and kissed the tip Haru's nose and said, "Don't worry, you got me covered."

Blushing, Haru turned away but tightened the grip on their hands. He looked out the window and said in a soft voice, "That's my cheesy line, don't you go stealing it."        

Out of the corner of his eye, Makoto saw the girl had turned over in her seat and was watching them. She had taken out one of her earphones.    

With a blue mitten, she pointed to him, then to Haru, brought her hands into the shape of a heart and mouthed "Is he your boyfriend?"

Makoto laughed out loud and the tips of Haru's ears turned red. "Yes, he is," Makoto replied happily.

The girl nodded and Makoto looked outside the window for a minute with Haru, trying to distract himself from the rapid thud of his heartbeat.

He never knew snow could be so lovely.

Unknowingly, the girl was still watching them, not making any move to turn away.

And she was smiling. 

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea for this chapter came from the following prompt: http://miss-cigarettes.tumblr.com/post/72938613857/%E7%84%A1%E6%9C%88%E6%B3%A0  
> Bless you, tumblr <3


	13. Give Him Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Half-term has finally come :")

The blowing snow drifted past the cafe windows, whistling faintly against the shutters.

Haru sighed in relief, glad to be safe from winter's chill. He cast a quick look around. The cafe was small and furnished in dark patterned furniture, giving it a dim cozy feeling. Small bulbs hung over each table, casting a yellow glow. There was not a 'single' customer to be seen; all the tables were occupied by pink cheeked couples, hot drinks to their lips and fingers entwined with each other. A flush began to creep up his neck and he felt a flutter in his stomach. 

"What do you want to drink, Haru?" 

A girl laughed at her partner's face, which was covered in swirls of whipped cream. She reached across the table and wiped it away with her thumb. The boy grinned, licking his lips where her thumb couldn't reach. He took both her hands and gave them a squeeze. 

"Haru?"

He leaned forward and planted a kiss to her forehead. The girl giggled, eyes sparkling. 

"Haru."

With a start, Haru turned away from the girl's glowing face to his hands, which were lying in Makoto's palms. Makoto ran his finger over his knuckles, sending tingles through his skin. Haru marvelled at the sensation; electricity travelling through his veins. 

"You ok? You were just staring off into space."

Haru flicked his eyes over to the couple, who had begun to nuzzle their noses together as they waited for the bill. Makoto followed his gaze and gave a soft chuckle at the display of affection. "Yeah, they're very cute together, aren't they?" 

Haru shrugged, trying to ignore the flutters in his stomach from watching them. His eyes widened in surprise when Makoto turned around, raising their clasped hands to his face. Green eyes closed, Makoto brought them to his lips and pressed a soft kiss. Heat flooded his cheeks, and Haru felt his throat go dry.

It was one thing to kiss each other on an almost deserted train car.

It was another to kiss in a crowded cafe, filled to the brim with  _straight_  couples. 

"But I think you're cuter, Haru-chan." 

Haru sighed in mock exasperation, lips curving into a small smile. 

It was one thing to go on a date. 

It was another to go on a date with Makoto. 

As far as Haru concerned, that was the only thing that mattered. 

Makoto freed one of his hands to ring the small bell in the table's side panel, calling over one of the waitresses. She smoothed out her uniform before saying in a polite voice, "Welcome to Cafe Chokorētokisu. What would you like to order?" 

Makoto placed his hand back on top of Haru's, soft and warm.

"A mocha cappuccino for me."

Makoto turned his green gaze onto Haru, warm and gentle. A vision of springtime.

"I... will have a hot chocolate please." Haru couldn't look away.

"Would you like some whipped cream with that, sir?" The waitress's voice sounded distant to his ears. He spotted a small quirk in Makoto's smile at the mention of cream. And Haru made his decision.

"Yes please." As the waitress jotted down their orders, Makoto leaned forward and brushed his lips over Haru's nose. 

"Good choice," he said smiling. 

The waitress caught Haru's eye and he couldn't help but sigh as the blush filled his cheeks. Her gaze lowered to their hands then to Makoto then back to Haru. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, preparing for speech. He waited for the waitress's face to harden, waited for her voice to turn sharp.

Waited for her judgement. 

She brought her hands to her face and cupped her blushing cheeks. "You two are so cute together!"

Her giggles came out louder than she may have intended, drawing all eyes to them. The waitress's laughter faded as she made her way across the cafe to the counter. The two swimmers tightened their holds on each others hands as the surrounding couples ogled their table.

"What should we do?", Makoto whispered.

Haru looked up to see the couple  _he_  was ogling at the door, putting on hats and scarves. The girl pulled on her mittens and slipped her arm into the crook of her boyfriend's elbow. They gave each other quick kisses on the cheek and left, a silver bell chiming their exit. 

They were in love. Plain and simple. 

Haru turned back to Makoto, who was waiting for an answer. 

He looked. Touched. Laughed. Kissed.

He's done it all. 

What he felt. 

It was the same. 

He looked into those gentle green eyes and felt his throat close up. 

_I'm in love with you._

"Here you are!"

Haru flinched, the arrival of their drinks breaking the charged atmosphere. Makoto gratefully took them from the waitress and placed them on the table. Makoto rose and said, "I'm paying" before Haru could begin to protest. The waitress laughed at the glum look spreading across Haru's face.

He sighed. "Ok."

"Be right back," Makoto replied cheerfully. Haru looked up at him to give him another gloomy sigh of defeat, but he never got the chance. Brown hair brushed against his forehead as Makoto pressed his lips to his cheek. Tingles and warmth erupted from the contact. Haru tried to ignore the stares of the onlooking customers. 

Makoto pulled away."Thank you."

"... For what?"

"On the train. You were the same as you've always been. Thank you for coming back and inviting me to see you swim. Thank you for giving me the best two days I've ever had since Nationals. Thank you, Haru-chan." 

Haru then felt like, how would Mei put it.

The luckiest person in the world.

Because the  _smile_ and it's beholder was meant for him. And only him. 

No one and nothing could compete with the  _smile_  so Haru nodded, chest throbbing to the point of pain as the green-eyed boy walked away.  

_I feel the same way._

_"Nanase?"_

Haru's stomach dropped. He knew that voice. Speak of the devil.

She slipped into the vacant chair, glasses glinting in the yellow glow of the lightbulb. Kaneko Mei. 

A coldness settled over him, his flutters of pleasure faded away. A small pang of fear shot through him.

"Hey."

Kaneko nodded, small quick fingers tapping a nervous beat on the table.  

"Are you on a date? With... Tachibana-san?"

Haru's eyes widened in shock. She's never called him by his surname before. 

"Yes, I am." 

The butterflies in his stomach took flight. Despite it all, he felt the cold tone of his voice start to warm. 

Kaneko's fingers started to slow on the table top. "I just... didn't expect to see the two of you out about, what with your cold and all..." She gave him a quick observant look, brown eyes taking in the colour of his face, the sound of his breathing. He took a sip of hot chocolate, the whipped cream light and sweet.

 _The hot chocolate last night was better._ Haru saw him out of the corner of his eye, smiling at the waitress.  _Because you made it, Makoto._

"I should be fully recovered by tonight." He wanted to add "before my race" but she knew that already. 

Kaneko blinked. "I'm glad to hear that." 

Disbelief must have showed on his face because Kaneko cleared her throat and said, "About what happened yesterday... I'm sorry. You called me out exactly on what I was doing and... I was just jealous. You see, Tachibana- oh this doesn't sound right. Can I call him Makoto? Is that ok?"

"Uh... sure. I never said you couldn't."

"Unlike me," she replied ruefully. Her voice was playful but he could hear the sincerity in her tone. "Makoto told me about you in our first seminar together and he just looked so  _happy_. He described you perfectly; I didn't need pictures to know what you looked like. I fell in love with the way his eyes sparkled, how his smile broke his entire face, how he could ramble on and on about swimming technique in a relay."

She gave him a wry smile."Funny isn't it? How people fall in love for the simplest reasons?"

Haru was too stunned to reply. 

"And then," Kaneko rubbed at her eyes. "He would talk about you. His voice would get so gentle and I giggled at how red his face got when he did. He told me how you met, how he came over every morning to get you to school on time, how you saved him from drowning in that storm on the ocean. How much he missed you when you went to Australia."

His heart clenched. His first and to this day, the only fight he had with Makoto was his deepest, most painful regret.

"And then he spoke of how you forgave one another and then I knew. But I was stubborn, and pushed the truth to the back of my mind. I wanted to have what he gave to you."

_Everything. He's given me everything._

Kaneko wiped away the tears that had started to spill down her cheeks. She gave a hiccup, and continued her apology, in a slightly wobbly voice. "I'm not the most... modern girl of the twenty first century but I know love when I see it. Nanase,"

Haru gave a start when she tentatively took his hand. Her small fingers gripped his palm. "You don't need me to tell you that Makoto is one of the best people you can ever meet in life. Make sure he knows that and... give him what I couldn't." 

Together, they looked across the cafe.

Past the chattering couples.

Past the bustling waitresses.

To him. 

_Give him everything._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience, lovelies <3 I turned 17 three days ago (woot woot) and decided to finally make a music channel! ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxIgFeK_-bw-m59OWskThqA ) Along with writing, music has always been my deepest passion so if you like what you hear, feel free to subscribe :) 
> 
> Next chapter is coming very soon!
> 
> *The name of the cafe translates to 'chocolate kiss' :3


	14. 3%

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I LOVE half-term <3 :") Here my lovelies, a new chapter with some fluffy Reigisa :3

“Thank you for your custom, please come again soon.” The waitress gave a small bow in farewell and graciously took the proffered tip from Makoto’s hands.

Makoto inclined his head and gave her a smile. “We will. Thank you very much for your service, Miss…?”

“Karazaki Yuki, but you can call me Yuki!”

“Yuki-san, we’ll be sure to drop by for another drink soon.”

She smiled and then, to Makoto’s surprise, burst into giggles. Two voices cut through the bustle of the café and the winter wind.

“MAKO-CHAN!” 

“Makoto-san!”

He followed her gaze and found himself looking out at the window of the café.

His heart seemed to swell and his eyes started to sting with tears. Two pairs of gloved hands and reddened cheeks were plastered against the glass, mouths set into wide grins. Rei and Nagisa.

His friends. His _team_.

The door of the café was thrown wide open, showering the threshold with snowflakes. Makoto only had time to register a mop of bright orange hair before a purple scarf obscured his view, ribs creaking from the pressure of Nagisa’s embrace; loud giggling erupted from Yuki and several of the couples.

Nagisa chanted against his shirt, voice high-pitched in excitement and joy. “Mako-chan, Mako-chan, Mako-chan!”

Makoto brought his arms around him and gave him a squeeze, gently alerting Nagisa that he couldn’t breath. Nagisa giggled and swiftly withdrew, pink eyes sparkling. Rei walked over to them, after closing the door and apologising to the staff for his boyfriend’s startling entrance. Makoto smiled warmly at him and held out his hand, expecting the usual handshake but to his delight, Rei gave him a gentle hug.

“Rei-chan, your face is so red! Like your glasses!”

Rei hurriedly pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and indignantly replied, “I’m just really happy to see Makoto-san!”

Makoto laughed and clasped each of their hands. “I’m very happy to see you too! And Haru will be too!”

Nagisa cheered and Rei discreetly drew something from his coat pocket. “We just got off the train and came here to get something to eat… if you don’t mind, Nagisa, can I have a word with Makoto-san?”

“Sure thing, Rei-chan! Oh! I’ve found Haru-chan! HARU-CHAN!”

The two friends chuckled as Nagisa sped away to greet the fourth member of their team. They retreated to the counter and leaned against the polished wood. “So, what’s going on, Rei? How’s the club? How’s Gou-chan?”

Rei fiddled with the object in his hands. “E-everything’s fine! The club is going well, our new relay team is coming together and Gou is applying to be a professional trainer for a local university.” Makoto nodded but noticed how red Rei had gotten.

“Is that really all that’s been going on? Has something happened between you and Nagisa?”

Rei gave a strangled laugh and his hands started to shake. “Well… that’s what I wanted to talk to you about, Makoto-san. Before something…happens… I want you to be the first to know.”

Rei took a deep breath and revealed the object, nestled in his gloved hands. A small velvet box.

“Woah…” Makoto gasped as the realisation hit him. “Is that… an engagement ring?”

The blue-haired boy gave a sheepish grin, his face matching the hue of his glasses once again.

“You’re going to propose?! When?!”

Rei’s face took on a calculated expression. “For his last year at Iwatobi, I want Nagisa to go to Nationals. In the relay and in the breath-stroke. In order to achieve this, he will need to expend 2-3 hours per week on his breath stroke training including an additional hour of dry-land stamina and endurance training, and I will make sure that the relay team meets the appropriate stats of conditioning in order to reach the optimal level of performance-”

Makoto clapped him on the back, abruptly stopping his swimming analysis. “Rei! That’s great, but when are you going to propose?”

Rei’s calm demeanour vanished in an instant at the prospect. “I-I don’t know! I don’t even know if this is a good idea or if Nagisa will even say yes-”

“Say yes to what?”

Makoto froze and Rei stiffened, his red face now deathly pale. Nagisa appeared with a sighing but content Haru on his arm and -was that Mei behind them?!- couples peering curiously at the group of swimmers. Haru quietly nudged Nagisa, whispered something into his friend’s ear then released himself from the arm hold. As calmly as possible, Makoto withdrew his hand from Rei’s back. He gave him a meaningful look, which he hoped translated into _Nagisa-is-head-over-heels-for-you-so-go-for-it_ and made his way to Haru’s side. He was about to ask what he’d whispered to Nagisa but Haru quickly shook his head.

Nagisa tilted his head to the side, face crinkled in confusion and worry. “What’s the matter, Rei-chan? Are you alright?”

Rei straightened and furiously shook his head, knees slightly quivering. “N-no Nagisa! I am not alright because I am about to try and get an answer to question which has a 3% chance of being answered correctly! And I am terrified because a 97% chance of obtaining the undesired answer is a VERY BIG NUMBER!.”

Nagisa’s face screwed up in concentration. “Hmm this must be a very difficult question if even you’re afraid of answering it.” Then his face broke into a wide grin. “But don’t worry, Rei-chan! I’m here to help! And so are Mako-chan and Haru-chan! All of us are together and together, I know we can solve any problem!”

The faces of Yuki and the eavesdropping couples softened, making the atmosphere of the café warm and inviting once again. Makoto and Haru caught each other’s eyes, sharing their feelings fondness for their teammate. Nagisa skipped up to Rei and took his hands and gave them an encouraging squeeze. “So, what’s the question?”

Rei took a shaky breath and placed the open velvet box on their entwined fingers. The yellow glow of the light bulbs glinted off the polished silver band nestled inside. Nagisa gasped, his mouth forming an O. Seeming to draw courage from Nagisa’s flustered state, Rei said in a clear voice, “I know we’re both quite young and that neither of us have been admitted to university just yet. I know neither of us have full-time jobs and the income necessary to start living on our own but…” Rei’s face broke into a gentle smile. “But I’m willing to wait. I’m willing to wait forever if need be, because I’m in love with you. And I want to spend the rest of the days of my life with you.”

Nagisa let out a strangled giggle, his pink eyes starting to glitter with tears.

“After we win Nationals, I want to keep swimming. Like Haruka-senpai, and Makoto-san I will work, I will fight for my future. For a future with you.”

“Hazuki Nagisa.” Slowly, Rei got down on one knee to the matted floor. “Please help me answer this question: will you marry me? 

Sobbing, Nagisa threw his arms around him, sending Rei’s glasses askew. “YES! REI-CHAN! OF COURSE I WILL!”

The entire café burst into applause, accompanied by the joyful squeals of Yuki. Makoto felt his eyes fill with tears as he watched his two best friends share a kiss on the floor and when Rei slipped the band on Nagisa’s finger, he felt them slide down his cheeks. He reached up to wipe them away but Haru’s hand was already on his cheek, wiping them away with his thumb. Makoto caught Haru’s hand and entwined his fingers around his wrist, planting a kiss to Haru’s palm. He looked at the hand he’d kissed and smiled, lips tingling from the gesture. When he looked up, Haru’s eyes were fixed on him, gazing intently into his own.

_There it is again_ , Makoto thought. _The same expression you wore last night_.

“MAKO-CHAN! HARU-CHAN!”

The two broke eye contact, both blushing profusely. A glowing Nagisa bounded towards them and wrapped them both into an embrace. Thankfully, since he had to hug two people instead of one, the crushing force was lessened exponentially.

Haru gave a small smile and murmured, “Congratulations, Nagisa.” Makoto ruffled the orange curls under his chin. “You and Rei-san will have a happy life together.”

Rei promptly joined them and wriggled his way in the middle of them so he was next to his fiancé. He pressed a kiss to Nagisa’s cheek then said, “Makoto-san. Haruka-senpai. It will mean so much to us if you could come to the wedding.”

“MAKO-CHAN! You’re my best man! I called dibs 2 minutes ago,” Nagisa whined giving the green-eyed boy a hopeful look.

Makoto laughed and squeezed his arm. “I would be honoured.” “And I would be honoured to be yours, Rei-san,” Haru softly added. Rei lowered his glasses and wiped his eyes, cheeks a brilliant shade of red. “Thank you,” he replied, voice choked with emotion.

“Mr. Hazuki, Mr. Ryugazaki. Your table is ready.” Yuki was practically vibrating with excitement at serving a newly engaged couple.

“Yay! Let’s have some hot chocolate Rei-chan!” Nagisa gave Makoto and Haru one last squeeze then let them go, looping his arm around Rei’s waist. He got on his tiptoes and Rei shyly bent down so they can share another kiss.

Yuki giggled and said, “ Right this way,” and led them into another wing of the café. Rei entwined his fingers with Nagisa’s and called from over his shoulder, “See you at the race, Makoto-san! Good luck, Haruka-senpai!”

* * *

 

“Was that Mei I saw in the café?” Makoto asked as they approached the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Large, colourful banners proclaiming the swimming competition fluttered in the winter breeze.

Haru stepped over a patch of ice and murmured, “Yes, she was there.”

Makoto nodded, not expecting an elaboration, and held the door open. “Thank you, Makoto.” Haru calmly readjusted the shoulder strap of his sports bag and the two made their way to the pool. Makoto held open any doors that came in their path, and each time, Haru would say thank you in his soft voice, blue eyes brightening with every step that brought him closer to the water.

“Nanase! Early as always.”

A middle-aged dark haired American man was standing by the pool’s edge, testing the concentration of chlorine. Haru walked over to give a greeting to his coach. After a few exchanged words and nods, Haru turned and motioned for Makoto to come over.

“You must be Tachibana! The backstroke swimmer Nanase keeps talking about! The team calls me Coach but you can call me Percy.” They shook hands and the coach smiled, dark green eyes crinkling. “You’re in for a real treat, Tachibana. Nanase is the best freestyle swimmer this university’s ever seen, he’s sure to break an international record soon!”

Makoto grinned and replied with his best English. “Because it’s Haru, I’m not surprised!” Haru’s cheeks reddened at the praise. “I wish you and your team the best of luck today.”

They shook hands once more and Makoto turned to his blushing boyfriend. “I’m rooting for you, Haru-chan! Good luck!”

Conscious that the coach was nearby, Makoto gave Haru’s hands a squeeze, wishing he could kiss him one last time. Haru nodded and looked to the side, longingly at the clear blue water of the pool.

“Go on! The water’s waiting!”

Sparks seemed to fly from Haru’s eyes and before Percy could say, “Not again, Nanase!” Haru had stripped down to his swimsuit, goggles and swim cap already securely fastened.

Makoto blinked in surprise when Haru remained on the pool deck. 

“What is it, Haru?”

 “A 3% chance... is more than enough for me.”

Confused, he watched Haru run to the starting block and dive into the pool. His confusion was soon forgotten in the flutters and warm pulses he felt traversing his body.

Watching Haru glide through the water, it was one of the greatest sights he could ever see.

It was only when Rei and Nagisa had arrived and seated themselves with Makoto in the bleachers that he realised what Haru meant.

 

 

 

  


 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been in Ireland this past week for a choral competition and WE WON!! I'm coming home tomorrow *sob* but hopefully, I'll have another chapter ready for editing and posting :)


	15. Never Seen Before

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: Twelve days of writer's block, three hours, and six mugs of tea later, the chapter is finally finished! As always please enjoy, my lovelies <3

“Alright, boys! Warm up’s over! Hit the showers and towel off, I want you all on deck to watch each other’s races and I better see ALL of you cheering-”

“Coach, Haru’s still in the pool!

“NANASE! OUT OF THE POOL, NOW!”

“Thanks a lot Rin,” Haru sighed as he reluctantly pulled himself out of the water.

The red-haired swimmer gave him a crooked grin, his shark-teeth gleaming. “Just looking out for you, Haru.”

Rin peeled off his scarlet swimming goggles and ran his hand through his dripping hair. Haru ignored the smirks from his teammates and the exasperated sigh from Coach. After grabbing a bottle of Gatorade, the two followed the rest of the team to the showers.

Haru peeled off his swim cap and goggles and dropped them in a locker. He then walked into a vacant shower and turned it on, sighing as the fresh water made contact with his exercise-warmed skin.

“You ready for your race?” Rin asked him from another shower, red hair streaked with bubbles.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” he replied. With the water trailing down his face, Haru gently touched his lips.

No tingles to be felt.

Haru felt a pang of regret; he wanted to kiss Makoto before warm up, he _really_ did. But kissing in front of Coach may not have been the smartest idea. Thankfully, Makoto must have felt the same. Still, that didn’t stop him from squeezing his hands. And that didn’t stop Haru from almost blurting out … well he’ll get to _that_ later.

Haru let the water run over him for a minute longer, the warmth of the water clearing away the final traces of congestion. He took a deep breath, the humid steam filling his lungs.

_I swim because I want to._

  _I swim for my future._

He felt a gentle flutter in his stomach and a faint tingle travel under his skin.

_And I swim for you._

 Haru closed his eyes; flashes of green and flickers of a gentle smile filling his head.

 _I will win._ _For you._

“Hey, you feeling alright?”

Haru opened his eyes, eyelashes covered in droplets. He quickly shut off the water, got out of the shower, and reached out for his towel - which wasn’t there. He’d forgotten to pack it. Haru groaned in annoyance.

“Don’t worry, you can use mine.” Rin jokingly offered his damp black towel. Haru stiffened when the door to the showers opened, but then a voice called out, “That won’t be necessary, Rin.”

Haru relaxed and Rin’s face broke into a wide shark-toothed grin. Sosuke’s teal eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he draped a fresh light blue towel over Haru, ruffling his dripping head for good measure. “Hey Rin, is it just me or does Nanase look … less gloomy than usual.”

Rin slung an arm over the newcomer. “You got that right, it’s like he’s actually excited to race for once. And no,” he held up a finger before Haru could protest. “Nationals didn’t count!”

Haru allowed Sosuke to ruffle his head for a couple of seconds, an acceptable allowance in his opinion. He took the towel in his own hands and finished drying his hair. When he looked up, Rin was leaning his head on Sosuke’s shoulder, smaller fingers entwined in Sosuke’s larger palm. Haru’s eyes widened, initially in shock but then realized: After witnessing a proposal, between Nagisa and Rei no less, was it really that surprising?

Catching Haru’s eye, Rin gave him a sheepish grin, cheeks reddening. Sosuke on the other hand, seemed unfazed and continued to caress the red head’s fingers, smiling softly. After a minute or so, Rin gave a cough and reluctantly drew his fingers from Sosuke’s grip.

“I-I’ll see you after the race, Sosuke.”

Sosuke nodded and swiftly cupped Rin’s face, cutting off his startled cry with a chaste kiss to the lips. Haru felt a pang of longing shoot through him. Rin smirked and ended the gesture with a gentle nip of his teeth. “Good luck.” Sosuke touched his cheek one last time then left, his pinking ears the only indication of embarrassment.

Rin draped his towel around his neck and gave Haru an appraising look. “Is Makoto coming to watch?”

“Yes, along with Nagisa and Rei.”

Rin’s shark-toothed grin reappeared. “That’s great! Do you think they’d be up to hang out afterwards? I know this _great_ sushi joint by the train station.”

Haru slung his towel over his shoulder. “Makoto probably won’t be able to.”

“Ah, I see, you want him all to yourself,” Rin smirked, eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

“Don’t be an idiot,” his cheeks pinking despite his deadpanned reply. “Makoto’s last term exam is tomorrow, he’d want to use the time for some final revision.”

“Come on, Haru, this is Makoto we’re talking about! One of Iwatobi’s best and brightest! Let’s give him a break from studying, while all of us are together!”

Haru dropped his gaze and shifted uncomfortably. “He’s… kind of already had a break.”

“What are you talking about?”

“He’s been looking after me for the past two days.”’

“Why on Earth - ”

“I’ve been sick with a cold and Makoto came over to the hotel to … help me recover.” Haru felt the butterflies in his stomach take flight, stirring up pleasant memories from their time together.

“Aw man, you know, you could have just called me! I was crashing at Sosuke’s dorm… Never mind. I’m glad you called Makoto.”

Haru stifled a chuckle at Rin’s flustered state.

Rin quickly changed tack. “Well, whatever Makoto did to make you feel better, it sure as heck worked. I’ve never seen you this, I don’t think ‘happy’ is the right word…at ease.”

_You have no idea._

“And your eyes,” Rin set his crimson gaze on him. Haru steadily gazed back.

“You’re fired up. You’re raring to go.”

Haru felt his lips perk into a small smile.

_You have no idea._

* * *

The bleachers were now full of local students, families, scouts, and foreign university swim teams, all anticipating an impressive array of races. The roar of the crowd was deafening and Makoto felt his nerves tingle with excitement. Sitting on his left hand side, Rei’s hands were balled into fists of determination.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Haruka-senpai’s beautiful free.” Rei caught Makoto’s eye and briskly added, “I’m sure it will be even more beautiful today, thanks to you Makoto-san.”

Makoto felt his cheeks burn and his nerves began to tingle with an entirely new feeling; the faint flutter of butterflies. 

“W-what do you mean by that, Rei-san?” He cringed at the stutter in his reply. On his right, Nagisa squeezed his hand, the engagement ring cool on his knuckles.

“It means Mako-chan, that you bring the best out of Haru-chan. There is no doubt in my mind that Haru will win, because he has someone to win for.”

Makoto gave a start when he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. He turned around and found a pair of teal eyes gazing at him intently. Sosuke.

“They’re both right, Tachibana-san. I’ve never seen Rin this excited for a university race. It can only mean that his greatest rival, Nanase, is just as excited to swim. He’s fired up.”

“Hey Mako-chan, have you ever asked Haru-chan about his sight?”

“It’s perfectly fine… I think it’s 20/20 - ”

Nagisa broke into giggles and Rei chuckled at Makoto’s bewildered expression. After a consoling pat to his arm, Rei elaborated. “Not his eyesight, Makoto-san. His _sight_ , the sight he sees when he races the relay. Have you asked him he sees when he enters the water? What he’s _always_ seen?”

Makoto shook his head, flustered from the gravity of the question. “I’ve never asked him.”

Nagisa and Rei let out a collective sigh of disbelief. Sosuke gave his shoulder a squeeze. “Then what did you see, Tachibana-san?” The memory of the Nationals relay immediately filled his mind.

 _The handles of the starting block glistened in the light of the stadium. He brought himself to starting position, the muscles in his shoulders aching to_ _extend. The water and his competitors were cast in a bright green hue. He takes a breath. Exhales. Takes another. GO. His back arches into form, his fingertips darting into the water. Breath. Breath. He closes his eyes for a moment. Opens them. He sees a dolphin incandescent in the blue of the water, faint webs of light from the sun rippling over its smooth skin. He’s open to the air, shoulders cutting powerfully through the waves, the dolphin’s tail at his fingertips. With a splash, it jumps out of the water, surrounded by glimmering droplets. It flicks its powerful tail, once, twice, and thrice._

_Beckoning him to follow._

_His green eyes briefly meet its blue ones and it lets out a trill._

_Beckoning him to follow._

_Wait for me, I’m coming. I’ll follow you. I’ll follow you… Haru._

The memory fades, leaving him warm and breathless. Sosuke stoic face breaks into a grin, his teal gaze taking in Makoto’s flushed cheeks. “You must have seen something amazing, to swim like that.”

“A dolphin… I saw a dolphin.”

Nagisa’s excited squeal made the three of them jump. Matsuoka Gou would have been proud.

“OH MAKO-CHAN! I’M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!”

“Wha-” Orange curls muffled his mouth and he cringed when he felt a rib creak. Rei’s glasses flashed and swiftly brought Nagisa’s squealing face from the crook of Makoto’s neck and planted a kiss to his cheek. Nagisa immediately released Makoto and lunged to his new target, rubbing his cheek into Rei’s chest. Sosuke mouth dropped into a surprised O and began to blush when Makoto broke into giggles. By the time Nagisa was done cuddling his fiancé, Makoto’s stomach ached from laughing and Sosuke’s face had somewhat taken on a calm expression.  Rei readjusted his glasses and gave Makoto a final pat on the arm. “Even though you’ve never asked him, I’m sure you already know. The sight Haruka sees.”

Makoto’s mouth went dry when the warm gazes of his friends settled on him. A shrill whistle sounded from the makeshift podium at the far end of the pool, and the roar of the crowd faded to silence. The doors to the change rooms opened and the teams filed out, their swimsuits sporting the colours of their universities. The swimmers lined up in ten columns with their coaches at the forefront. The first event was announced, 500 M butterfly, and five teams began to climb into the reserved sitting area. The conjoined team from the University of Tokyo and USC remained on the pool deck and Percy’s animated movements announced he was giving an enthusiastic pep talk. Makoto watched as Rin fastened his black swim cap and pulled his goggles back, the strap snapping soundly against the cap. Sosuke gave a soft chuckle. Makoto turned and immediately noticed how those teal eyes were fixed on the redhead, warm and gentle.

 _Well what do you know?_ Makoto looked to his side to see that Nagisa had permanently seated himself on Rei’s lap, their fingers entwined with each other.

Makoto spotted Haru’s dark head on the pool deck and his heart skipped a beat.

He looked, touched, laughed, kissed.

He's done it all with him.  
  
What he felt.   
  
It was the same. 

Rin climbed onto the starting block and the whole stadium seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the starting whistle. In the sudden stillness, Makoto closed his eyes and let the overwhelming feeling of warmth come over him.

_Good luck, Haru_

* * *

 

Haru opened his eyes and the silence of the stadium was shattered by the shrill sound of the whistle. Rin lunged into the water, his powerful strokes putting him swiftly in the lead. The roaring crowd and the yells of his teammates echoed off the walls, vibrating the tiles around him. Less than thirty seconds later, Rin was back at the starting block for his first completed lap. A strand of crimson hair had escaped the swimming cap, his shark teeth pulled back into a wide grin. “Matsuoka, SPRINT!” Coach yelled. With a splash, he was gone, giving his all for the last lap of the race.

“Come on, Matsuoka!” Haru’s teammates were screaming themselves hoarse trying to be heard over the sonorous cries of Japanese spectators. After a fleeting but pointed look from Coach, Haru sighed and cupped his hands together.

“Rin! Fight!”

Haru stopped yelling when he heard a familiar pair of voices, shouting from the upper level of bleachers.

“RIN-SAN!"

“RIN-CHAN!”

Then he heard it. _His_ voice.

“RIN! FIGHT!”

Haru tore his attention back to the race and before he knew it, Rin was already at the 10 M mark, hands outstretched. The timer stopped and the whistle blared, his palms touching the starting block. The red head ripped off his goggles and cap. Eyes shining, Coach let out a hearty yell as the time board flashed the results, with Rin in first and a new stadium record.

“YES!” Rin yelled and raised his dripping arms up, accepting the cheers and screams of the crowd. Haru rushed forward to the pool and couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Rin’s face, crimson eyes alight with victory. Rin pulled himself out of the water and held up his hand. Haru gives him their customary high five and immediately steps aside to let Coach and his teammates congratulate him. They fling his towel at his head, slap him on the back, and Coach hands him a full bottle of orange Gatorade. 

Their team does very well, always making the top three places in each event. The volume of the cheering seems to have increased tenfold thanks to Rin, whose enthusiastic shouts make up for Haru’s softer cheers. Suddenly, a hush fell across the pool deck and the final event was announced: 500 M Free. Haru took one last swig of Gatorade and Coach slapped him on the back.

“You got this Nanase.”

Haru slipped on his swim cap and goggles, his vision cobalt. Rin clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a meaningful look.

“Show him. Show him the sight he’s never seen before.”

Haru felt the blood rush to his cheeks and nodded.

His teammates stepped aside and began to cheer as Haru walked across the cool tiles to the starting block. He climbed onto the white concrete and closed his eyes. He carefully gets into his starting position, his hands taking hold of the front of the block. His knees tensed and his toes pointed to the waters of the pool. Right at the water’s edge, he felt the familiar longing take hold of him; he wants to swim, he _has_ to swim.

His competitors took their positions.

_I swim because I want to._

The referee raised the whistle to his lips. _  
_

_I swim for my future._

He opened his eyes.

_I swim for you._

The whistle sounded.

_For a future with you._

He pushed off, leaving the cold concrete behind and dove into the water, his body thrumming with adrenaline. His feet slashed through the water at a steady rapid pace and streams of bubbles tickled his fingertips as he stretched out his left arm, swinging it back to his side and propelling his right arm to complete the stroke. After a five successive strokes, he felt a dull burn seep into his lungs. Haru smoothly flipped onto his side and took a quick gulp of oxygen, temporarily soothing the burning sensation. As he breathed in, he let his eyes dart to the outside world: the bright florescent lights, miniature suns casting whitish light on the water. Faces pulled back into wide grins and shouts, their cheers falling mutely on his submerged ears. A brown haired figure in a green jacket appeared on the edge of the tiles.

He brought his upraised arm back into the water, sending droplets to splash on his heaving back. The wall of the pool was in sight, dark and solid in the rippling blue. Haru shot some air out of his nose, closing his nostrils and pulled back his arms, flipping as close to the wall as he could. Pain lanced through his skull as his swim cap grazed against the bottom of the pool but his feet were swiftly back into position. His arms and fingers formed an arrow and felt the water slipping past his form as he kicked off from the tiled wall. Haru took another breath, trying to keep the pain in his lungs and head at bay. He caught sight of a swimmer, two lanes to his right kicking ferociously, his arms cutting into the water in a rough but brisk fashion.

“NANASE! SPRINT!”

Coach’s scream cuts through the blood and water rushing in his ears. His pace instinctively quickened, his shoulders bringing his tiring arms out and in of the water more rapidly than before, his feet stinging as they propel him faster. Haru sucked in a last breath of air and was about to go under when he heard them.

“HARU-CHAN!”

“HARUKA SENPAI!”

And then he heard them.

“HARU! SHOW HIM!”

“NANASE!”

And then he heard it. _His voice_.

“HARU!”

Even from a distance, he could see those green eyes sending flutters through his skin; sending fire through his veins. He tore his gaze away and returned to the water. Bubbles escaped his lips as he swallowed a gasp; he was seeing it.

The sight. One he's never seen before.

* * *

 

_The fluorescent suns have merged into a single spotlight, cutting through the dark blue waters of the ocean. Haru marvels at the bubbles trailing through his fingers, their circular forms morphing into minute butterflies, leaving tingles against his skin with their ethereal wings. A young thresher shark trails its dorsal fin against his ankles followed by the smooth nudge of a whale shark’s to his thigh. The pair leaves his floating form behind and retreat the beam of light, waiting expectantly. A lone rock hopper penguin zips to his side and gives him an affectionate peck to his shoulder, a silver feather on its flipper gleaming. It follows the trail of butterflies, chirping with delight at their fluttering. Suddenly, the dark blue water rippled and the crash of an unseen surface wave sends the spotlight to fall upon a figure in the distance._

_Haru’s lips tingled with the memories of kisses and the gentlest of flutters began to churn his stomach. The figure gets closer and all the while, the beam of light starts to widen until by the time Makoto has reached his side, the waters have turned to a clear light blue._

_“Haru.”_

_Makoto takes his hand, green eyes soft and gentle. Haru feels the pain in his head dwindle away as Makoto’s fingers trail through his dark locks. Their fingers slowly entwine and Haru lets his forehead rest against the crook of Makoto’s neck._

_“Haru.”_

_Makoto kept repeating his name, his face alight with his warmest smile. Haru wrapped his arms around him and felt his throat close up, tears starting to form in his eyes. “Makoto…” He felt those long arms encircle him, keeping him from floating away. “I need you.” Makoto brushed his lips against his forehead. “I need you, I will always need you…” He felt Makoto’s fingers at his eyes, wiping the tears away._

_“Haru.”_

_The blue-eyed boy looked up and swallowed back the lump in his throat. He cupped the green-eyed boy’s face in his palms and kissed him, whispering three words into their lips. “I love you.”_

_“I know,” Makoto murmurs back. The kiss breaks and they slowly draw their arms away. Makoto squeezes his hands one last time and lets the current take him, floating him towards the water’s surface. The penguin gives one last chirp and swims back into the ocean. The butterflies flutter after it and shark and whale swim away together, dorsal fins brushing. Smiling, Haru leaves the ocean bottom behind and swims up towards the surface, to Makoto, where he belonged._

* * *

 

The wall loomed up ahead, for the last time. Lungs on fire, he gave one last kick and stretched his arms, fingers making contact with the starting block. He managed to stop himself from crashing into the wall and quickly peeled off his swim cap and goggles, muscles shaking from fatigue. Gasping, he finds the time board hanging over the makeshift podium, blinking lights forming his name and time.

A voice crackled over the stadium’s PA system and announced, “Nanase Haruka, Lane 3 has set a new world record for the 500 M men’s freestyle.”

Haru barely had time to feel any sort of emotion, as he was pulled cleanly out of the pool by two sets of strong arms. Coach and his teammates tackled him with an impromptu hug and Haru didn’t have any desire to tell them off. After a dozen slaps to his back, they gave him his towel and Coach pushed two bottles of blue Gatorade into his hands. “Nanase, that was the most incredible freestyle I’ve ever seen. I am honored to have you on the team and I am beyond honored to be your coach.” Cheeks burning, Haru felt his lips begin to perk into a wide smile. “Thank you, Coa-”

“HARU-CHAN!”

Coach laughed and retreated as Nagisa latched himself onto Haru’s back, effectively wetting his winter coat with pool water. “YOU WON! YOU WON!” Haru took hold of Nagisa’s arms around his neck and gave them a squeeze. Taking the hint, Nagisa released him and gave him a proper, rib-cracking hug to his torso, all the while tickling his chin with orange curls. With tears dotting his glasses, Rei appeared at Haru’s side and promptly joined the embrace, thankfully with less pressure to the ribs.

“Haruka-senpai, words cannot describe the beauty you have just shown everyone here today. You were phenomenal.” Haru bowed his head, giving Rei a grin and the spectacled boy’s face turned bright red, seeing Haru grin so widely for the first time.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Rin’s proud sharked tooth grin sent a jolt through Haru’s stomach and the red head squeezed his shoulders. Sosuke took the bottles from Haru and firmly shook one of his now free hands. “You were amazing, Nanase. Congratulations.”

Haru’s stomach churned from being the center of all the attention. But he was happy. The happiest he has ever been. His friends smiled as he gave a small cough and said “Thank you. All of you.” Suddenly the sounds of the stadium and his cheering team faded to a dull murmur. He felt his friends let go of him, whispering words of encouragement moving away to be replaced by _him_.

Makoto wrapped a fresh dry towel around his shoulders and squeezed his hands. “Congratulations Haru. You were amazing.” Haru nodded and took a deep breath, psyching himself up for what he was about to do. He felt his stomach continue to churn and his throat beginning to close up like before. But he wouldn’t let it happen again. Not this time.

Haru had to do it, now, when everything was perfect again. Just like this.

Haru brought his dripping hands up to Makoto’s face, took his chin, and lowered his jaw so he was looking directly into his eyes. “ Makoto, I will never leave you.” The other boy opened his mouth to reply but Haru swiftly pressed his lips to his in a kiss. Makoto’s arms settled around his waist, paying no heed to Haru’s sopping swimsuit. Haru drew away for a moment and brushed away a strand of brown hair that had fallen into his view of Makoto’s eyes.

 _Your beautiful green eyes_. “Thank you, for staying with me.” Makoto leaned forward to nuzzle their noses together. “I’ll always stay with you, Haru. Always.” Haru’s vision started to blur.

_Say it._

“I’m sorry it took me so long to tell you this.”

Makoto laced their fingers together and took their hands. He brought them to rest on both their chests, over their hearts. 

“I love you, Makoto.”

  
  
_­_

 

__  
  


_  
_


	16. Couldn't Help It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 2016 my lovelies <3 ! It's been a while... sorry about that. Writer's block and school don't go well together. Please accept this fluff-filled chapter (with some reigisa and sourin ^___^) as my apology. Enjoy, next chapter is coming soon (I promise!)

Makoto couldn’t help it. With a laugh, he wrapped his arms again around Haru’s waist and lifted him off the tiled floor, laughing louder at Haru’s small shout of surprise. A moment later, he felt Haru’s wet arms settle around his neck, dark hair pressed against his ear. The slight shuddering of his chest indicated that he was laughing too. Giddy, Makoto spun in a circle and just like in the cheesy rom coms he watched with his siblings, Haru’s legs flared out and spun around with him. As they twirled, he could hear Nagisa’s shrieks of delight and Rei trying to choke back an emotional sob. He could hear Rin jokingly calling out “Get a room, you two” and Sosuke’s deep voice, chuckling. After one last spin, Makoto gently lowered Haru to the floor. Haru sheepishly withdrew his arms from his neck and wiped the water away with his towel. Makoto took hold of their hands again, smiling at how Haru’s fingers swiftly entwined with his own and how those blue eyes were looking at him.

Like he was the only person in the world.

“You can say it again, if you really want to.”

Haru nodded slowly, never taking his eyes away from him. Leaning forward, they rested their foreheads together and Makoto felt the gust of Haru’s breath on his lips when he whispered,

“I love you Makoto.”

A pause. “And I always will.”

Makoto closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to Haru’s in a soft kiss. The two of them sighed and let their tears trail down their cheeks and drip onto their hands, merging with the pool water that had given each other the chance to relive the sights they have always seen and create a sight they have never seen before.

Together. Just as it should be.

“Oi, lovebirds! I don’t know about you, but we’re starving!”

Haru sighed glumly against his lips, prompting Makoto to giggle and pull away. Haru’s fingers brushed his cheeks, slowly tracing the faintest pattern of freckles. He had just finished tracing them when Makoto noticed Haru’s blue eyes widen.

“I think you’re running a fever.” Haru swiftly brought their foreheads together once more and Makoto gave a faint sound of agreement as he felt the noticeable difference in temperature between them. Haru placed a cool hand to his brow. “When did it start?”

“Just before your race.”

Haru nodded and gently cupped his face. “How are you feeling?”

Makoto noted how Haru’s eyes had darkened to a deep navy, worried. Gently, Makoto took Haru’s hands from his face, folded them into his palms, and planted a kiss to his knuckles. Swallowing back the tickle in his throat, he said in his most reassuring tone, “I feel just fine.” When Haru’s eyes still hadn’t brightened, Makoto found himself leaning down kissing the tip of his dripping nose. “I’ll let you know when I’m not.” Haru looked up, pink cheeked and nodded. Hand in hand, they began to walk towards the change rooms and their waiting friends.

Rin clasped them on the shoulders. “It’s about time! Can you leave Makoto for _five_ minutes to get changed, Haru?”

Haru rolled his eyes in annoyance, his flushed cheeks making the gesture less effective. Reluctantly, Haru followed Rin into the change rooms but murmured something to the others in passing. As the doors to the change rooms swung shut, Rei’s glasses flashed and Makoto suddenly found himself being marched out of the pool area and into the main lobby of the facility. There, Sosuke ‘insisted’ (but in his deep voice, Makoto thought it was more of an order) he sit on a bench while he went to the vending machine to get him a hot drink. Nagisa fumbled inside his coat pockets for a moment before retrieving a beanie and with a flourish, fitted it onto his head. “Keep it, we need to keep your head warm.” Nagisa’s normally excitable voice was unnaturally soft. Finally, Rei pulled out his cell phone, pressed the screen a few times, and placed Makoto’s fingertip to it. It beeped once, twice, three times then blinked a red light. Rei pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose and read off the information.

“Makoto-san, you are running a light fever with your core temperature at 98.8 degrees F. If my calculations are correct, your fever is going to worsen, your core rising .2 degrees every hour until you have some rest and take some medication.”

Makoto gasped, more in wonder at Rei’s phone and how it was able to give such a detailed medical analysis.

“I know I’m a little feverish at the moment, but I feel fine!”

Nagisa pulled insistently at his arm. “But Mako-chan! Are you going to be fine tomorrow? Don’t you have your last exam then?”

Rei pursed his lips and Makoto then remembered the conversation he’d had over the phone with his spectacled friend. How he’d promised to study one last time. How he’d promised to keep his priorities in check.

Makoto reached out and patted Nagisa’s orange curls, ruffling them good-naturedly. The pink-eyed boy giggled in response. Makoto then stood up from the bench and clasped Rei on the shoulder.

“Thank you, Rei. Don’t worry about me.”

Rei sighed. “I’m sorry Makoto-san, but it’s really hard not to be worried when Haruka is.”

Makoto stomach writhed with the familiar sensation of guilt. 

“Nevertheless,” Rei gave him a smile. “You’re stubborn so if anything happens, at least we’re all here for you."

A tap to his shoulder signalled Sosuke’s return with a can of coffee. “Drink this, to keep warm. We’ll order you a pot of tea when we get to the restaurant.” Makoto took the can and his chilled fingertips tingled from the warmth. “Thank you, Yamazaki-kun.”

Makoto popped open the can and took a sip. The warm drink soothed his throat, that had begun to feel sore, and his veins flooded with the familiar buzz of caffeine. He quickly finished the drink and Sosuke promptly took the empty can and threw it in the recycling bin. Embarrassed, Makoto rubbed at his neck but as he looked at the three of them, watching him for any signs of discomfort, he felt the guilt in his stomach to be replaced by a wave of gratitude.

 _I’ve never liked to make people worry about me,_ he acknowledged.

He lowered his hand from his neck, no longer embarrassed.

_But that’s what friends are for._

“Thank you. For worrying about me.” Grinning widely, he bowed and felt the too-small beanie flop off his head. Giggling, Nagisa picked it up from the floor and fitted it over his own head. 

“No need to thank us, Makoto-san,” Rei stammered, face as red as his glasses. Sosuke inclined his head, his teal eyes kind.

“Sorry to keep you waiting!”

Rin and Haru, showered and garbed in winter wear, appeared at Makoto’s side. Rin patted him once on the shoulder before dumping his gear into Sosuke’s waiting hands and leaning into Sosuke’s waiting embrace. 

“Hi,” Makoto murmured.

“Hey,” Haru murmured back, bangs brushed and sports bag secure before gently taking his hand.

As the group made their way across the now partially crowded lobby, Makoto felt the stares of Haru’s teammates upon them as well as the respectful but curious gaze of the coach. Haru and Rin waved them off with a few short phrases in English, promising to meet them back at the hotel in time before tomorrow’s practice.

They stepped out of the facility and into the winter night. “So where’s this sushi place, Rin-chan?” Nagisa asked as he hooked his arm around Rei’s waist. Blushing, Rei reciprocated the gesture.

“Five minute walk from the train station,” the red head replied, grinning toothily as Sosuke slung an arm over his shoulder. “And don’t worry, Haru. They have an excellent mackerel dish.”

Makoto stiffened as a cold gust ruffled his hair, stifling his laughter at Rin’s quip. Haru looked up and tightened his grip on their entwined fingers. Makoto quickly pulled up his scarf to cover his burning face and murmured, “I’m fine. It’s just a little chilly.”

They walked on, snow crunching under their boots and the voices of their friends drifting on the breeze. Soon after the lights of the train station fell behind them, Makoto felt Haru’s smaller body press into his arm. He shivered at the sudden warmth from the contact and felt himself blush when Haru wrapped an arm around his torso and gave him a small kiss to the cheek.

“I’ll keep you warm until we get there.”

A pause. “And I’ll keep you warm tonight.”

Cheeks flaming, Makoto could only nod in reply and he felt his heart skip a beat when Haru’s darkened eyes brightened to clear blue once more.

* * *

 

The table seemed to hold its breath, waiting for him to take the first bite.

 _Do you all have to stare at me while I do it though,_ Haru thought glumly.

He picked up his chopsticks and proceeded to poke at the fish, trying to select the leanest piece with minimum sauce and sesame seed coverage. He felt his lips perk into a small smile when he found it and picked it up effortlessly.

“He’s going in for the kill,” he heard Nagisa whisper excitedly to Rei.

“You make it sound like Haruka’s a shark,” the blue-haired boy replied, glasses glinting in the restaurant lighting.

“Oi, I thought I was the shark!” Rin called from the other side of the table, flashing a grin to reveal his pointed teeth.

Rei chuckled. “He could be talking about you to though, right Yamazaki-kun? What’s your favourite animal, again?”

“A whale shark but they’re more peaceful than most and don’t usually go hunting for food.”

“That’s right, they just open up their mouths and swallow krill all day, the slackers-”

Haru heard the group give a burst of laughter when Sosuke cut Rin off by kissing his nose, leaving him too surprised and red to continue. Haru lowered the fish from his mouth and looked up. Catching his eye, Makoto’s head tilted to the side the way it did when he was confused but his green eyes were warm, gentle, and were looking at him.

Like he was the only person in the world.

Like they’ve always have.

 _What’s wrong?_ Those green eyes asked.

Haru shook his head and gave him a smile. “Nothing,” he murmured. He put the fish in his mouth, chewed, swallowed, and closed his eyes.

_Not too dry. Tangy sauce. Light crunch from the sesame. Tender. Flavourful._

He opened his eyes to see his friends standing in their seats and all leaning towards him, waiting for the verdict.

Haru couldn’t help it. It was their serious-hopeful expressions that urged his lips to part into a gasp of laughter. He gave them a nod and their joyful exclamations only made him laugh harder. Suddenly, the whole table went silent. Haru felt his himself tense, the bubble of joy he felt in danger of bursting. Five pairs of wide eyes looked at him, the accompanying facial expressions ranging from shocked, delighted, and downright intrigued.

Nagisa was absolutely ecstatic. “HARU-CHAN! YOU LOOK SO CUTE WHEN YOU LAUGH! I’VE NEVER HEARD YOU LAUGH BEFORE EITHER!” He reached across the table for Haru’s shoulder and arched his back into position for an impromptu selfie.

“Say CHEESE, Haru-chan!” Haru felt the bubble of joy inside of him swell and felt his cheeks lift into a wide grin. Nagisa looked down at his phone and practically screamed with delight. “REI-CHAN! LOOK LOOK! HARU-CHAN REALLY SMILING! THIS IS AMAZING!” 

Rei quickly agreed with his excitable fiancée, all the while urging him to keep his voice down before the waitress returned to their booth with a sound complaint. Nagisa passed his phone around to Rin, who easily forwarded it to his own phone.

“Haru. Smiling. That’s a keeper.”

It didn’t come much to a surprise for Haru to see that the expression of intrigue came from Sosuke.

“And here I thought, you were incapable of expressing anything but your love for the swimming pool.”

Haru sighed while the rest of the group chuckled. Sosuke’s joking tone changed to one of respect.

“You continue to amaze me, Nanase. In your swimming, and as well as your character.” Humbled, Haru gave him a small smile.

“And I think we all know who to thank, for encouraging Nanase to freely express himself.”

Haru felt his smile widen into a grin as all eyes turned to the boy seated right across from him. Makoto’s cheeks reddened and stammered,“I-I really like Haru so it’s no trouble-”

“Oh no, Mako-chan! You don’t _like_ Haru-chan, we all know you love him! And we all know he loves you right back!” Nagisa’s giggling only made Makoto’s cheeks turn redder. 

Haru took a breath. “I do.”

Makoto’s eyes shot up to meet his own. Haru reached across the table and gently took Makoto’s hands. He pressed them to his chest, right over his heart.

“I love you.”

And in that moment, Haru was reminded once again why.

“I know.”

Silence fell over the table once again, the group stunned beyond belief. But this silence was short lived as Rin promptly turned to his boyfriend and proudly declared, “I love you, Sosuke!”

“Huh?!” Sosuke exclaimed, face reddening before he could begin to put on a calm collected expression.

“I’ve never told you that when we’re in public so I wanted to start now! I love you!” Rin kissed him, pulled away, and winked at Haru. _Always the competitor._

“No need for that,” Rei quickly said to Nagisa’s hopeful expression. Magenta eyes dimmed for a second before Rei added bashfully, “Since we’re already getting married.” Nagisa’s face broke into a wide grin.

“OK, we all love our boyfriends and fiancées! Now let’s eat!”

They retook their seats, clapped their hands together to give thanks, and started to eat the platters of sushi. Haru kept his hand on Makoto’s all the while, gently caressing throughout the meal. The light from the hanging paper lanterns above their booth casted a warm rosy glow, accentuating the colours of the salmon platter, which Nagisa immediately took a liking to. Cups were pushed into the middle of the table and Sosuke calmly poured the pot of black tea. After filling them all, he redistributed them and after a moment, slid his own cup over to Makoto.

“It’s ok, I can share,” he replied before Makoto could protest. Rin gave an exasperated sigh as his boyfriend took a sip from his cup, but the affection in his crimson eyes revealed that he was totally fine with it.

Makoto gave him a sunny grin in thanks and swiftly sipped his tea, graciously accepting Rei’s offer to refill his cups when he finished. Cheeks bursting with rice, Nagisa handed Makoto the salmon platter before he could finish devouring it. When the bowl of salted edamame came around, Rin made sure that Makoto could take as much as he liked before the group took some. Haru felt a wave of gratitude surge through him, seeing them take care of Makoto so kindly. He gave their hands a squeeze, making Makoto look up from his food. The green-eyed boy gave him a gentle smile before letting the others continue to supply him with sushi and tea. Haru felt the last traces of his worry disappear, possibly for good, because he wouldn’t have to do this, or anything else, alone. Not with his team by his side.

 

***

 “THANK YOU FOR THE FOOD, RIN-CHAN! SO-CHAN!”

“So-chan?!” Sosuke indignantly cried out before Nagisa had wrapped both him and Rin into a hug. Rei bowed and sheepishly added his thanks.

“Congratulations on your engagement,” Rin replied patting Nagisa’s flyaway hair, eyes alight with fiery joy.

After Nagisa had released the first couple, he then locked eyes with Haru. Makoto standing by his side gave a nervous chuckle.

“Haru-chan… Mako-chan…”

Tears spilled from Nagisa's eyes and suddenly, Haru saw his breath puff into the winter air, one of Nagisa’s small arms gripping his back. “Please come home and visit us soon, we miss you so much.” Haru felt his throat close up and his eyes starting to sting with the now familiar sensation of tears.

 _I’ve never cried this much in my whole life,_ he thought to himself in amazement. Looking down at Nagisa, to Rin and Sosuke, to Rei. To Makoto, by his side. 

Warmth blossomed within him when he came to the realization. _Until now, I’ve never had that much of a reason to._  

He gently wrapped his free arm around Nagisa’s shoulders and said, “We will. We promise.”

Apparently, hearing his reply was too much for Rei because a moment later, the blue-haired boy was at his back, sobbing into his and Makoto’s scarves. “For the team,” Makoto murmured softly. Haru felt a tear slide down his cheek before disappearing into the mass of orange curls under his chin. Rin shook his head and with a sad smile, said “Aw what the hell. Come on, Sosuke.”

***

Exiting the restaurant, customers were treated to quite the heart warming sight of six swimmers laughing and crying with their arms wrapped around one another, wishing that they didn’t have to go, and letting the sky cover themselves in snow.

They couldn’t help it.

 

 

 


	17. One More Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No this isn't a joke, I'm really updating! Hope everyone had a lovely Easter <3 As always, thank you for the kudos and comments, they do wonders for my writing drive :)

_This isn’t good_ , Makoto thought with barely suppressed panic. Here he was, the night before his most important exam of his short-lived university life. And he just couldn’t seem to remember a single thing about it.

 _This headache is killing me_ , Makoto added dejectedly to his internal monologue. He swiped a clammy hand across his forehead and he cringed at how his fingers seemed to aggravate the throbbing in his temples. A bead of sweat trailed slowly down the back of his neck, reminding him once again of his rising fever.

A textbook lay open in front of him and the comprehensive revision notes he’d spent hours writing up by hand were spread across his small desk. His laptop, (sitting precariously on three study guides), casted a faint silver glow across the pages and told him that it was almost 11:00 PM. His exam was in 9 hours. He groaned as he set an alarm on his wristwatch for 5:00 AM. He’d have to study some more in the morning because there was no way he could pull a legitimate all night cram.

But for what it’s worth, he’s still going to try.

Makoto took hold of the glass of water he had beside his notes and gulped it down, but his tongue still felt dry as sandpaper. He rose from his chair to refill it. As he stood up, and took a few steps, he felt a heavy pressure surround him and a ringing began to fill his ears. The room around him distorted into a haze of pale colours and he felt himself tilt sideways. The floor seemed to ripple, like the waves of the ocean back home. His heart thudded rapidly as he came to the realisation of his situation.

He was about to faint.

The blurry mess of his vision became too much for his fevered brain to handle so Makoto closed his eyes. Too weak and unsteady, he waited helplessly for his body to fall to the hardwood floor of his dormitory.

His door, which he’d left unlocked, was thrown open. “Makoto-san!”

The ringing in his ears abated just enough for him to recognize the voice.

_Mei-chan?_

“Oh my god, are you alright?!”

Mei’s small arms hooked under his armpits and he sighed in relief as he was gently lowered back onto his chair. Makoto opened his eyes and was treated to the beautiful solid image of his dorm and the surprisingly lovely image of Kaneko Mei’s bespectacled eyes. Without mascara.

“I was just coming by to ask you one last question about the symposium we went to. I knocked but you didn’t seem to hear me so I came in and FREAKED OUT because you were about to –“

“Thank you, Mei-chan! I really appreciate you being here but can I ask that you keep your voice down? I have this killer headache,”

He got ready to stand up again but Mei quickly pushed his shoulders back down.

“You just told me you have a headache and you were about to pass out on the floor. Sit down for a couple more minutes. I’ll get you some more water.”

Detecting the steely tone of a woman on a mission, he simply nodded and let his classmate refill the cup. She even filled the teapot sitting by the sink, the one his mother had given him as a going away present.

“Your eyes,” Makoto started as he drew his legs into a more comfortable position under his desk.

“What?” Mei called from the sink.

“They look really lovely today,” he finished, rubbing the sweat away from the back of his neck.

“Oh, thank you… I stopped using mascara since our study session…”

Mei returned with the cup in hand and knelt down beside him. She began to reach out but then stopped. She instead put the cup down in front of him and looked away, lips pursed into a worried grimace.

It took him a couple of moments.

Study session. Oh yeah.

That was two days ago, wasn’t it?

Makoto drank his water and placed the empty cup back down on the desk. As Mei reached to refill it again, he placed his hand on hers, stopping her.

“Mei-chan, I know you made up with Haru at the café yesterday.”

Shocked by their hands touching, she looked at Makoto with wide eyes. “Did he tell you?”

He gently wrapped his fingers around her smaller palm and gave it a squeeze. “He didn’t have to, his face told me everything.” Mei ducked her head down. Makoto squeezed her hand again. “If your apology was enough for Haru, then consider it enough for the both of us.” In his fingers, the girl’s hand began to tremble. “I forgive you, Mei-chan.”

Tears welled up in her eyes and Makoto gave a small gasp when she freed her hand from his grasp, leaned over and cupped both of his cheeks.

“I’m so happy for you, Makoto-san. Truly and whole-heartedly.”

Her tone of voice was so different from the last time he’d heard it. What was dark and piercing was now gentle and alight. “I am so grateful that you’ve forgiven me, for my terrible attitude and prejudice. I will make it up to you, to the both of you. I promise.”

Stunned with her sincerity and the intensity of her brown-eyed gaze, Makoto couldn’t help but give her a warm smile. “I know you will.”

Mei sheepishly lowered her hands from his face and began to blush profusely. “Please don’t tell Nanase that I did that, he’s just started to like me.”

Makoto opened his mouth to giggle but coughed instead, wincing as it left his chest aching and throat raw. Mei hurriedly opened up the purse slung across her shoulder and to his amazement, pulled out a small digital thermometer.

 _I should start carrying one of those_ , he thought to himself, remembering Rei’s incredible phone capabilities. Guilt writhed in his stomach as Mei stuck the thermometer in his mouth.

_I told him this wouldn’t happen._

And yet here he was, the evening before, sitting on the floor of his dorm, at 11:15 PM, getting his temperature checked.

“Makoto-san… your core temperature is at 99.4 degrees F. If it gets up to 100, you have to go to the hospital.”

“What?! No, Mei you know I can’t do that! Our final exam is tomorrow!”

Mei pulled the thermometer out of his mouth and wrung her hands. “I know, Makoto-san, but you can’t write a two hour exam with a fever! I doubt our Professor could do it!”

“But-“

“What if you get another dizzy spell and faint in the middle of it? What if you’re still so exhausted from being ill that you can’t remember any of the revision you’ve done up till now? What if you won’t be able to finish it?”

Makoto groaned, prompting a coughing fit. He hugged his knees to his chest and gripped his ankles, shuddering as cough after cough left his body. No one, not even him can deny it now: he was sick, and it was going to be a rough couple of days.

Mei rubbed soothing circles into his back, murmuring softly to “keep coughing, that’s it” and that “this too shall pass”. He took a breath and air passed through his aching body without aggravation this time. He knew though, this relief was only temporary.

“Mei-chan… What should I do?”

“I think,” Mei stopped rubbing his back and swiftly replied, “I think you should call Nanase.”

“And before you say you shouldn’t,” she said with a finger pressed against his lips, “you helped him with his recovery. All three days of it. Wouldn’t you like it if he could help with yours?”

 

 

* * *

 

_After their group hug in the snow, they all walked back to the train station and the three couples got ready to part ways._

_“You know, I find it really funny how we all ended up dating each other. I mean, what are the odds that we’d all be gay for each other?” Rin’s exuberant exclamations were met with laughter and blushes from everyone._

_“Well… for me, I didn’t find it all that surprising,” Rei said as a matter of fact. When Nagisa looked at him with wide, sparkling eyes Rei gave a hearty chuckle and drew the shorter boy to him and kissed him._

_“I may have not known that I was gay the whole time, but I knew, without a doubt, that you would be important to me.”_

_Nagisa let out a happy laugh and burrowed himself tighter into Rei’s side. “I’ve always known that I was gay. Seeing you for the first time made me 100% sure! So you can say that me not loving you is statistically impossible!”_

_“Let’s keep it that way,” Rei added, voice warm with affection._

_“How about you, So-chan? Did you find it all surprising that you’ve fallen in love with Rin?”_

_Sosuke’s teal eyes flashed and a light pink blush started to colour his stoic face. “I never was really able to connect to anyone on a deep personal level, especially when it came to my love for the butterfly.”_

_He cleared his throat nervously as Rin lifted an eyebrow. “I never really thought about the possibility that the person I’d cherish most in this world happened to be a guy. To be honest, I didn’t let myself think about something as powerful and life altering as love until I came back to Samezuka. But, for what it’s worth,” Sosuke gently pulled Rin’s fingers up to his lips and pressed a few soft kisses to them. “I’m really glad that it’s you, Rin. The person I cherish the most.”_

_Rin’s face turned red as his eyes and couldn’t give an audible reply except to bury his head in the crook of Sosuke’s neck, shoulders slightly shaking. After a minute or so, Rin lifted his head. His voice burned with emotion when he said, “You were and are my first best friend. I hope you’ll be the first, and last, love of my life.”_

_Sosuke’s stoic face split into a wide grin. “Wanna bet on that? If you ever breakup with me, you’re buying me a thousand sodas. Deal?”_

_Rin swiped furiously at his eyes and yelled back, “Idiot! If you ever breakup with **me** , you’re buying me a thousand popsicles. But yes,” he gave Sosuke a shark tooth smile. “You got a deal.” The group gave the aggressive but affectionate Rin another minute or two to shower his boyfriend in quick, nipping kisses. _

_“Makoto, we don’t need to hear you out. I think you’ve said more than enough about loving Haru over the last three days, right?” The green-eyed boy blushed to a brilliant shade of pink, but his accompanying smile was pure as the snow falling around them._

_“So that just leaves…” The group all turned to him. “What about you, Haru?”_

* * *

 

Haru watched in content silence as snowflakes sailed across the sky, refracting the lights of Tokyo’s innumerable buildings. Huddled in a blanket, he gave a small smile at the winter night before him. During his three-day stay, he found that if he was patient enough, and the wind was on his side, Haru would be able to gaze at the intricate patterns of the flakes that stuck to the hotel room window.

Every single flake was unique in its own right, displaying a pattern that no flake has ever had before. Every snowflake that fell, there was only one of its kind.

Only one.

No other.

Haru gave a jolt as the buzzing of his cell phone interrupted his snowflake reverie. He glanced at the display.

UNKNOWN CALLER

The spark of excitement he had begun to feel fizzled out, to be replaced by disappointment.

He was hoping it’d be Makoto…

He closed his eyes for a moment. _I miss him._

Dejectedly, he tapped his phone screen once to accept the call. “Hello?”

“Nanase? It’s Kaneko.”

“Oh. Hey, Kaneko-san.” Haru replied, his disappointment shifting to intrigue.

“Hey. Ok. There’s no easy way to say this but… Makoto’s really sick.”

Haru threw off the blanket from around his shoulders. He felt his grip on the phone tighten.

He breathed in deeply through his nose and exhaled. Kaneko continued, “I’m with him right now, in his dorm at the university. I came by to ask him a question about our exam tomorrow and he was about to faint! So I sat him down and made him drink a whole teapot full of water.”

Haru gave a small sigh of relief.

 _Water. Good_.

“But… his fever is only getting higher, Nanase. He also told me he’s been having a bad headache and his coughing fits are getting more and more frequent. At this rate, he may have to be sent to the hospital,” she concluded, voice heavy with worry.

He’s heard enough. Haru rose from his bed and began to pull on his winter gear over his sleepwear.

“Thank you, Kaneko-san. Thank you for looking after him up till now. Can you put him on the phone, please?”

“Sure thing.” Haru used the moment of silence to slip on his winter boots. He swiftly brought the phone back up to his ear when he heard a voice say his name.

“Haru.”

“Hey, how are you feeling?”

Haru heard Makoto sigh. “Not too good…”

Haru waited for him to elaborate. He didn’t have to wait long. “I know I have a fever, thanks to Rei and Mei-chan, but I feel… so cold.” Makoto’s voice was soft, strained, and if Haru listened hard enough, he could hear the faintest whisper of rasping.

“The bag I gave you after dinner. Have you taken any of the medicine yet?”

“I couldn’t risk it, they would have made me too sleepy to revise.”

Guilt and anger surged through Haru in an emotional wave, leaving his voice shaking slightly. “No exam is more important than your health, Makoto.”

His emotions only intensified when Makoto pulled away to cough, the sound reverberating through the phone line.

“Please take the medicine. Please.” Haru swallowed back the lump in his throat. “For me.”

He heard Makoto take a shuddering breath. “I will, Haru. I promise, but not tonight. I can’t remember anything from revision, my mind is a total blank.” Haru was dismayed by the tone of his voice, laced with weary anxiety. “I just can’t afford it. I have to do well on this exam, it’s the only way to make it happen.”

“Make what happen?”

Makoto’s reply was practically a whisper. “The future. Yours and mine. _Ours_.” The word ours reverberated through Haru’s entire being, just like before. His feelings of guilt for getting Makoto sick, of anger for Makoto always putting everything before himself faded to be replaced by nothing more than a desire to be with the green-eyed boy always, so he would never have to miss him again.

“See you soon,” Haru whispered.

Makoto gave a soft sigh. Haru ended the call and slipped his phone into his pocket then left the hotel room running, all the way until he was out once again in the night with the snowflakes.

An outstretched hand, waiting to pull him out of the blue. A tilted smile, that made him feel warm inside. Gentle eyes, his eyes. Green. He needed to see green.

For one more night.

 

* * *

 

_A waiting hand, ready to entwine with his own. A precious smile, that made him feel light inside. Lovely eyes, his eyes. Blue. He needed to see blue._

_For one more night._

 

 

 

 

 

 


	18. Remedy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missed me?  
> I really have no words to express how much I've missed these swimming dorks and writing this fluffy mess of a fanfic. I've spent the past few months (holy crap 8 MONTHS?!) dealing with a lot of difficult circumstances ... but now that I have the next 4 years of my life more or less sorted out, I can finally write to my heart's content! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this long overdue fluffy chapter and if you're still here after all this time, thank you so much. You're lovely <3

_When the pain cuts you deep, when the night keeps you from sleeping ..._

_Just look and you will see ..._

_That I will be, I will be ..._

 

* * *

 

"Makoto, Haru's here."

Wincing, Makoto raised his head from the pillows Mei had so kindly fluffed and arranged on his rickety single bed. He willed his trembling arms to prop himself into a sitting position, his chilled body protesting at being moved out from under the thick blankets. 

"Thank you so much, Mei. For taking care of me all this time."

It was almost midnight and Makoto's stomach turned at the thought of Mei doing poorly on the exam tomorrow due to fatigue. His classmate came to his side, her small hands gently brushing away a sweep of brown hair from his sweaty forehead. 

"You're welcome, Makoto. I hope you feel better by tomorrow."

The door opened with a tentative creak and Makoto watched Mei's eyes flicker towards the movement. She smiled and murmured, "I know you will."

"Makoto."

Haru was standing in the entryway, his dark hair dusted with snow. Mei gave Makoto's clammy hand one last squeeze before she rose from his bedside and made her way to greet his cold and clearly worried boyfriend. 

"Nanase, perfect timing! I was just leaving - " Haru suddenly grabbed Mei's arms and pulled her into a fierce hug, snow falling from his hair onto her shoulders. 

"Thank you."

Despite how awful he was feeling, Makoto's heart swelled at watching them. He knew, without a doubt, that Haru would always remember Mei for this. She was his friend now. 

Mei pulled away, cheeks a lovely shade of pink, and gave Haru a soft smile. "I've done my part, now it's your turn." Haru nodded and gave her a small smile in return. He held the door open as Mei wrapped herself up in a scarf and her jacket, glasses glinting with ... were those tears? She turned around and gave Makoto one last smile. 

"I'm happy for you. So very happy."

Makoto throat closed up and he felt like he was now close to tears himself. "Goodnight Mei, see you tomorrow."

Haru closed the door and gave out a long exhale, his shoulders slightly unclenching under his thick winter coat.

I'm so proud of you, Makoto thought. For a person like Haru, hugging people he barely knew was terrifying. Makoto patiently watched Haru hang up his outerwear on the door hook and nimbly slip out of his snow covered shoes. Makoto closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, and was taken a back when he smelled cinnamon and chocolate. He opened his eyes and there was Haru, sitting on the blankets holding a cup of hot chocolate. Not only did it smell good, it looked good. Topped with cinnamon dust and whipped cream with chocolate sprinkles ... and oh my god, was that a cat mug?! Yes it was, two ears protruded from the rim of the mug, a tabby striped tail making up the handle. 

"Take your medicine first."

"Please kiss me."

Haru's blue eyes widened and Makoto laughed at how quickly his cheeks reddened. Haru blinked and mumbled a soft "With pleasure," before leaning in to give him a kiss. Haru's lips were still slightly cold and chapped from the winter wind but they did wonders for Makoto, whose lips were burning thanks to his fever. After a few moments, Haru pulled away and pressed a hand to Makoto's face. 

"That's some fever you got there."

Makoto gave him a sheepish grin. "It's just like the one you had." Haru shook his head. "No, it's worse. Because you didn't take the medicine when you should have."

Makoto could sense the darker undertones in Haru's voice,  of guilt and anger. "You're right ... I should have taken it as soon as we left the restaurant. I'm sorry, for making you worry." Haru closed his eyes and pressed their foreheads together. Makoto waited for the slight shudders to leave him, for shaky breathes to gust across his cheeks. "I'm sorry Haru." 

"I just ... want you to be alright. Always."

Makoto kissed the tip of his nose and murmured, "With you by my side, I will be."

They stayed in that position for what seemed like hours, snow cold and fever hot pressed against each other. It was the prickling sensation of a cough making its way to Makoto's throat that caused them to draw away. Haru placed his drink on the bedside cabinet and rubbed circles into Makoto's back. After the coughing fit subsided, Makoto sighed and fell backwards into the pillows, fatigue and chills taking him out of the rosy reverie Haru's arrival had given him.

Without another word, Haru stood up and went to Makoto's desk, picking up his water glass, teapot, and ... his study guides? He found the bag of medicine he had given him, slightly crumpled from being stuffed precariously next to Makoto's reading lamp. Haru reached into the bag and pulled out the medicine and made his way back to Makoto's bedside.

Makoto shifted to the side to give Haru more space but to his surprise, Haru dumped the study guides and the medicine on the blanket. He went back to the desk, picked up the desk chair, and placed it next to the bed. Haru calmly sat down and poured him a fresh glass of water, holding it up to his lips.

"Finish this cup first, then you can have the medicine."

Makoto opened his mouth to protest but Haru didn't let him start, instead gently tipping the water into his open mouth. Makoto reluctantly swallowed all the water, secretly relieved at the relief it brought to his parched throat. Haru then proceeded to shake out the proper dosage of cold medicine pills into his palm.

"Don't even think about it, Makoto. You're not doing anymore studying tonight. I won't let you."

"But - "

"No buts. You're going to take this medicine, drink your hot chocolate and get some sleep."

Haru sighed in exasperation when he caught sight of Makoto's devastated expression, shining green eyes dimmed to a dull glimmer. "Why do you think I brought your study guides over? I'm going to read them out to you as you drink your hot chocolate."

"Oh. But Haru, don't you have to meet up with Rin and the rest of your team tomorrow morning at the hotel? You have a joint practice - "

"Makoto."

Haru popped the pills into Makoto's mouth and offered him a second glass of water. Makoto had no choice but to finish swallowing the pills and water before he could speak again. "You just recovered, not getting enough sleep can get you sick again."

Haru placed the medicine and water beneath his feet and picked up the still warm cat mug of hot chocolate. He gently placed it in Makoto's hands, their fingers naturally entwining with each other. "You were and always will be, my remedy. Now, it's my turn to be yours." 

With the warmth of chocolate and cinnamon seeping into palms and those beautiful blue eyes gazing at him, Makoto felt all the remaining protests in his throat die away and the guilty writhing in his stomach to finally cease. Now, he felt whispers of butterfly wings and tingles of electricity, making his head thrum not with pain but with a single, warm thought: _I love you_.

They brought their hands up to Makoto's lips and Haru smiled as Makoto drank the hot chocolate. It was amazing. "Did you make this, Haru?"

Haru laughed at his starstruck expression. "Yeah, turns out Cafe Chokorētokisu is open until midnight during the holiday season. Yuki-san, our waitress, allowed me behind the bar to use their ingredients. I may have just casually mentioned that you love cats and she insisted I take one of their mugs for free." 

Makoto felt the swooping sensation of amazement and joy take hold of him, a sensation Haru can make him feel with ease. "Thank you so much."

Without warning, Haru kissed him again, taking his breath away. "I'm glad you like it."

"Stop it, you're flustering me."

Haru sighed and pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead. "Good."

Makoto felt his cheeks grow hot, the butterfly wings and tingles from Haru's touch making his fevered thoughts and tiring body go haywire. 

Thankfully, the blue-eyed boy seemed to realise that and after giving him one last soft kiss to his cheek, pulled away. They were then quiet for a while, Makoto drinking his hot chocolate and letting Haru absentmindedly trace patterns into his free hand. Makoto had left the curtains of his dorm open, allowing the moonlit shadows of snowflakes to speckle the blankets. 

Once he'd finished drinking, Haru gingerly placed the empty adorable cat mug back on the bedside cabinet. Makoto shifted himself back under the blankets, leaving his arms so he could still hold Haru's hand. With the other hand, Haru picked up the first of three study guides and got himself in a more comfortable sitting position on the chair. 

"Ready?"

Makoto closed his eyes for a moment, brought their hands to his face, and kissed them. "Yeah."

To this day, Makoto can't recall how long he was able to stay awake that snowy night, which symposiums and lesson plans Haru had read to him in his steady clear voice. But he will always remember the soft kiss Haru had given him when he was about to leave in the early hours of the next morning and the parting whisper:

_I love you_

* * *

 

_Just look and you will see ..._

_That I will be, I will be ..._

_Your remedy._


End file.
